Bangladesh to provide 50,000 MT fertilizers to Nepal: PM

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today said Bangladesh would provide 50,000 tonnes of fertilizer to Nepal responding to a call by her Nepalese counterpart KP Sharma Oli as the landlocked country was exposed to a critical shortage of the crucial agriculture input.

"The Nepalese premier phoned our Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina around 5pm and sought 50,000 MT fertilizers from Bangladesh," PM's Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim told BSS.

The PMO spokesman said the two premiers' talks lasted for 20 minutes, during which Hasina also assured her counterpart of providing rail transit to Nepal.

"The Nepalese premier expressed gratitude to his Bangladesh counterpart in regard to the transit offer," Karim said.

The two leaders also put emphasis on further bolstering bilateral relations and cooperation in other sectors as well.

Hasina and Oli simultaneously expected the two neighbours to ink a bilateral preferential trade agreement (PTA) soon to boost trade and commerce.

The Bangladesh PM congratulated Oli for successfully combating the novel coronavirus in his country, the press secretary added.

The Nepalese premier's phone call came as reports in Nepalese media said the country was exposed to severe fertilizer shortage.

Experts and officials said the landlocked situation of the country made it highly dependent on agricultural production though it does not have any major domestic fertilizer industry, meaning that imports are the sole source for ensuring fertilizer.