Govt to import 365,000 tonnes of fertiliser to shore up stocks

The government is set to import 365,000 tonnes of fertiliser in its effort to build up stocks amid concerns over the supply of the essential crop nutrient due to the US-Israel war on Iran and China’s export ban.

The Cabinet Committee on Government Purchase (CCGP) took the decision based on proposals from the agriculture and industries ministries to buy urea, diammonium phosphate (DAP), triple superphosphate (TSP) and muriate of potash (MoP).

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Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC) and Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation (BCIC), two agencies under the agriculture and industries ministries, will buy the crop production input, mostly used for rice cultivation, from Saudi Arabia, Russia, Morocco, Canada and Karnaphuli Fertilizer Company Ltd (KAFCO).

The purchases will cost Tk 2,700 crore, according to the official document.

The development comes less than a week after the high-powered purchase committee gave the go-ahead to import 115,000 tonnes of fertiliser from Canada, Russia and Saudi Arabia to replenish stocks and ensure availability during the two major rice-cropping seasons: the current Aman season and the upcoming Boro season.

“We expect the shipments of fertiliser to arrive in the middle and at the end of September,” said a top official of BCIC.

Three factories, including KAFCO, are currently producing fertilisers and one more is expected to start production tomorrow, the official said.

Bangladesh, which depends heavily on imports for chemical fertiliser, is projected to require 5,800,000 tonnes of the input in fiscal year 2026-27, as domestic production remains constrained by the diversion of gas to power generation and other industrial uses.

However, the Middle East war has raised concerns over fertiliser supplies, as Bangladesh imports a significant portion of its fertiliser from the Middle East.