Govt clears 1.1MT fertiliser imports

The government has approved the import of nearly 1.1 million tonnes of fertiliser under both public and private arrangements to ensure uninterrupted agricultural production and fertiliser supplies in the country.

The approval was given at a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Government Purchase on Wednesday, with Finance and Planning Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury in the chair.
Of the total, 155,000 tonnes will be imported through the public sector and 1.075 million tonnes through the private sector.

Under a proposal from the Ministry of Agriculture, the committee approved the import of 35,000 tonnes of muriate of potash (MOP) fertiliser from Russia under an agreement between the Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC) and Russia’s JSC. The consignment will cost Tk166.09 crore, with the price set at $383.80 per tonne.

The committee also approved the import of another 220,000 tonnes of MOP through 14 authorised private importers from Russia, Canada and Belarus. The total cost has been estimated at $87.7734 million, with the price set at $398.97 per tonne.

Three proposals for importing diammonium phosphate (DAP) fertiliser were also approved.
Under separate agreements between BADC and Morocco’s state-owned OCP Nutricrops, two consignments of 40,000 tonnes each, totalling 80,000 tonnes of DAP, will be imported. The total cost will be Tk874.734 crore, at $885 per tonne.

In the private sector, 500,000 tonnes of DAP will be imported through 19 companies from Morocco, Russia, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Tunisia. The total cost has been estimated at $469 million, with the price set at $938 per tonne.

The committee also approved a proposal for private importers to bring in 200,000 tonnes of triple super phosphate (TSP) fertiliser from Lebanon, Bulgaria, Morocco, Egypt and Tunisia through 10 companies.
The total cost of the TSP imports has been estimated at $151.2 million, with the price set at $756 per tonne.

Meanwhile, following a proposal from the Ministry of Industries, the committee approved the import of 40,000 tonnes of bulk granular urea fertiliser from Saudi Arabia’s SABIC Agri-Nutrients under the fifth lot.
The consignment will cost Tk193.558 crore, with the price set at $391.66 per tonne.

The government said the imports were approved to maintain a steady supply of fertiliser and support agricultural production.