Fertiliser crisis dashes farmers' hopes in 8 northern dists
Supply of TSP, Potash is about one-fifth in peak IRRI-Boro season
Farmers in eight northern districts started IRRI-Boro cultivation with great hopes to recover the loss of Amon crop this year but their initiatives are dashed by scarcity of fertiliser.
Sources in Rangpur office of the additional directorate (AD) of Agriculture Extension Department (AED) said 7,38,999 hectares of land were brought under IRRI-Boro cultivation in Rangpur, Dinajpur, Nilphamari, Gaibandha, Kurigram, Thakurgaon, Lalmonirhat and Panchagarh districts this year with a target to produce 30,25,824 tonnes of paddy. This is 44,000 hectares more than that of last year.
The demand for fertilizer in January in the eight districts is 11,794 metric tonnes (MT) of triple super phosphate (TSP), 9,529 MT of potash and 57,612 MT of urea. But the supply of TSP was 2,594 MT, potash 2,610 MT and urea 53,948 MT from January 1 to 25.
This year's Amon yield is 22,01,787 tonnes while last year it was 24,10,219 tonnes.
Because of fertilizer scarcity, farmers have to collect slip or card from block supervisors (sub-assistant agriculture officer) of the respective union to procure fertilizer from the official enlisted dealers.
Before this the union revenue officer (Tahasildar) see the land record to ascertain the area of land in possession of farmers. 'The process is lengthy, said farmer Abul Hossen at Itakhola village.
The Department of Agriculture has prescribed the doze of fertiliser to cultivate Hi-breed variety of paddy on one bihga (33 decimal) of land as below. This is TSP 18 kilogram (kg), potash 27 kg, urea 30 kg, zipsum 11 kg and zinc 1.5 kg.
Although zipsum and zinc are available in market, but TSP and potash urea are scarce.
The AD office did not disclose the demand note for fertilizer for January which DAE offices of eight districts sent to the higher authorities.
Azizul Islam, a medium-level farmer at Dundibari village in Jaldhaka upazila said to The Daily Star he had planted 10 bighas of hi-breed paddy. But he got only 70 kg urea and no TSP and potash against his card. 'Phosphate and potash are the two main fertilisers needed to cultivate hi-breed paddy. These should be applied on land at the time of ploughing. If their application is delayed then paddy production hampers,' he said.
Farmers said in such a situation the share-croppers are the worst affected.
However, Noor Mohammad, deputy director of Rangpur Additional Directorate's office of AED said there is no shortage of fertilizer.
Abdul Wahed, president of the northern regional unit Bangladesh Fertilizer Association said IRRI-Boro production will be hampered if farmers do not get fertilizer in right proportion and at right time.
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