Crisis of potato seed, fertiliser in eight northern dists
BADC supplies 1,422 tonnes of seed against a demand for 2,24,200
With start of potato sowing season, farmers are bewildered due to crisis of good seed and ferttiliser in eight northern districts, country's prime potato growing area.
As supply by BADC (Bangladesh Agriculture Development Corporation) is too meager to the demand, farmers are deceived with low quality seeds. Added to this is high price of fertiliser, mainly TSP (Triple Super Phosphate) and MP (Murate of Potash).
Sources at Rangpur regional office of Agriculture Extension Department (AED) said the demand for potato seeds in eight northern districts is 2,24,200 tonnes this year to bring 1,12,100 hectors under its cultivation. But BADC supplied only 1,422 tonnes.
The district-wise target fixed by AED is 33,500 hectors in Rangpur, 26,300 in Dinajpur, 16,000 in Nilphamari, 13,200 in Thakurgaon, 6,700 in Gaibandha, 6,700 in Panchagarh and 4,500 hectors in Lalmonirhat.
Farmers said they prefer BADC seeds because those are disease-free and give higher yield.
The BADC seeds are supplied through 400 dealers in the region. The price of `A' grade potato seed is Tk 27 per kilogram and `B' grade Tk 25 this year.
When asked about the seed crisis, Deputy Director (DD) of BADC seed marketing department in greater Rangpur Asadur Rahman said farmers could procure the rest of the seeds from NGOs or private seed companies.
But it is still unclear what quantities will be available from sources except BADC.
Deputy Director of Nilphamari AED and member secretary of district fertiliser and seed monitoring committee Eunus Ali said he has no information about the quantity and quality of seeds available with NGOs and private seed companies.
DD of Rangpur AED Kamal Shariful Alam and crop specialist Mokbul Hossen Nuri in Gaibandha also expressed similar views.
Azmol Hossen Mondol, seed certification officer for Nilphamari and Lalmonirhat districts said his office certified only 25 tonnes of seeds of a private company this year. RDRS (Rangpur Dinajpur Rural Service), an NGO, took certificate for another 9,000 tonnes, he said.
He said about 90 per cent of seeds available in markers in the two districts are without certification from his office and are of low quality. “I seized a good quantity of low quality potato and Boro paddy seeds”. Same is the situation in other districts in the region, he added.
Farmer Sultan Ahamed of Sitarpat village in Nilphamari Sadar upazila said he got 190 maunds of potato from one acre last year by sowing BADC seeds. But in another acre of land, he got only 100 maunds by using seeds bought from market. “I am looking for BADC seeds but could not procure it yet,” he added.
Low quality seeds, mostly virus infected, are sold at Tk 1,700-1,800 per 84kg bag.
Supply of TSP and MP (Murate of Potash) is almost half the quantities sought by DAE for the eight districts. However, urea supply is by and large satisfactory.
AED sources in Rangpur said the demand for TSP, MP and urea for November was 10,438 tonnes, 12,239 tonnes and 6,729 tonnes respectively. The allotment was 3,289 tonnes of TSP, 2810 MP and 6,729 tonnes of urea.
The demand for Dinajpur was 6,633 tonnes of TSP, 6,326 tonnes of Potash and 2,302 tonnes of urea while the allotment was 1,626, 16,35 and 5126 tonnes.
For Gaibandha, demand for TSP, MP and urea for November was 3,849, 2,362 and 2,302 tonnes.
The demand for Nilphamari was 595 tonnes of TSP, 1,090 tonnes of MP and 1,485 tonnes of urea. The allotment was 1043, 880 and 1250 tonnes respectively.
A 50KG bag of TSP is sold at Tk 1400-1450 now against last year's price of Tk 750-775 and MP at Tk 1400-1500 against Tk 800-750. Urea is sold at Tk 300.
Farmer Abdul Mannan Shah Fakir said, due to high price of seed, fertiliser, pesticide and labourer, production cost will be at least Tk 11.00 per kilogram.
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