Dealers queue up for 'rationed' fertiliser

Trucks hired by dealers waiting for days on Zia Fertiliser Factory compound for urea. PHOTO: STAR

The factory has no stock and the dealers are being supplied from the daily production of 1200 tonnes, sources in the ZFF and dealers told this correspondent yesterday.

This correspondent yesterday saw long queues of trucks of dealers from different districts on the road in front of the factory. Many of them said they were waiting for a week for their turn to come.

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If the factory goes out of operation due to any technical fault, there will be a serious crisis of urea in the eight districts under its jurisdiction, the factory sources said. The eight districts are Brahmanbaria, Comila, Chandpur, Kishoreganj, Netrakona, Gopalganj, Faridpur and Madaripur.

Tripping of the factory is not unlikely as it went out of operation 20 times during the current financial year, causing a total production loss of about one lakh tonnes. This is also one of the reasons for no buffer stock and rationing, they said.

The supply position tightened and rationing was introduced as Gopalganj, Faridpur and Madaripur districts were brought under its command area this month while it had no buffer stock due to earlier production disruptions, factory sources said. The three districts were brought under the ZFF following production disruption in urea factories in Jamalpur and Ghorashal, it was gathered.

According to sources, 841 dealers now lift their quota from the factory every month.

The dealers are divided into two categories according to their areas, one getting 50 to 60 tonnes and the other 30 to 35 tonnes per month. But they are given these quantities in 2-3 installments in a month as urea is delivered from daily production, some dealers told this correspondent.

As there is rationing, anomaly takes place in supply, alleged Tarik Ahmad, a member of Kishoreganj Fertiliser Dealers Association. Dealers from Kishoreganj and Netrokuna are not getting fertilisers as per their demand, he alleged.

Mizanur Rahman, secretary of Brahmanbaria Fertiliser Dealers Association, claimed the factory can not supply more than 1150 tonnes of urea daily now. He said 2500 to 3000 tonnes were supplied daily during the peak season last year.

Factory sources said they can deliver 70 to 75 truckloads of urea daily. About 400 tonnes are supplied in barges and 80 to 90 tonnes in railway wagons.

When contacted, a high official of the factory seeking anonymity admitted that the buffer stock has been exhausted as three more districts were brought under its area.