Urea sale comes to halt
Farmers, dealers both refuse to take BCIC fertiliser in Gaibandha
Repacked urea, meant for distribution among dealers of Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation, is kept on the premises of its Gaibandha godown. Inset, a large amount of damaged and discoloured fertiliser lies on the floor of a godown. Photo: STAR
Farmers of Sundarganj upazila in Gaibandha district have refused to purchase 'solidified, discoloured and sand-mixed' urea from dealers of Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation (BCIC), driving the latter to stop receiving its delivery from BCIC buffer stock godowns in the district. Following complaints from farmers, Sundarganj upazila nirbahi officer has also ordered dealers to stop selling such fertiliser until further order. "The urea fertiliser imported from China was found in torn out bags during transshipment at Chittagong and Mongla ports. The transport agencies also supplied those torn out sacks to the buffer stock and a good amount of the fertiliser fell to the ground during loading and unloading," said Mahbub Alam Ripon, secretary of district fertiliser dealers' association. One lakh 14 thousand 985 hectares of land have been brought under boro farming in Gaibandha district in the current season, said sources at the agriculture office. The department concerned has allocated 14,470 tonnes of urea fertiliser for February and the total amount earlier reached the district buffer stock godowns. The department has already supplied 7,900 tonnes of urea among 102 dealers in Gaibandha district. Over 3,000 tonnes of the fertiliser is imported from China. Contained in torn out bags, the imported fertiliser got damaged and lost natural colour during its stay in godowns for a few months, said an official of the buffer stock. "We are facing much trouble as farmers refused to take it on reasonable grounds," said a dealer of Sundarganj upazila preferring anonymity. Due to the situation, the fertiliser dealers have stopped taking delivery of allocated fertiliser from the buffer stock. "We are no longer receiving fertiliser in torn out bags from transport agencies and asked labourers not to repackage fertiliser that was kept on the ground for long," said Haider Ali Khan, in-charge of the district buffer stock. Gaibandha deputy commissioner also visited the buffer stock godowns and asked the officials and employees not to sell 'repacked and solidified' fertiliser. Sundarganj upazila parishad Chairman Wahiduzzaman Sarker on Tuesday seized 500 bags of date expired urea fertiliser from a godown of Tomal Chandra Saha, a dealer of BCIC at Shovaganj Bazar.
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