Gaibandha dealers stop taking low-quality urea
The same solidified, discoloured and sand mixed urea fertiliser, earlier contained in damaged yellow and red bags when they were unloaded in Chittagong and Mongla ports upon its import from China, is being repacked in attractive white plastic bags on the premises of Gaibangdha buffer stock godown in a bid to make the damaged fertiliser 'acceptable' to farmers.Photo: STAR
Fertiliser dealers at a meeting here on Wednesday decided not to take urea for the month of March, as the buffer stock authorities still continued to supply 'solidified, discoloured and sand contaminated fertiliser for sale among the farmers. Contacted, Gaibandha district fertiliser traders' association president Kazi Hamidul Haq said most urea fertiliser imported from China are found in damaged sacks at Chittagong and Mongla ports. The transport agencies supply those to buffer stock and a large quantity of fertiliser fall from sacks during loading and unloading. As the farmers refused to take those low quality fertiliser, we are facing a great difficulty in taking the quota for the month of March fearing possibility of remaining unsold, he added. Anyway, we are repacking the fertiliser of the damaged bags in white plastic bags, as the farmers refuse to take yellow or red bags other than the white one, said Haider Ali, in-charge of the buffer stock. Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation (BCIC) has allocated 9,600 metric tons of urea in Gaibandha for the month of March, but the dealers are yet to lift the quota because of damaged sacks and discoloured fertiliser. Despite all, such bags are still coming from the ports, he said. About one lakh 18 thousand 985 hectares of land will be brought under boro cultivation in Gaibandha this season. Over 90 percent of the targeted areas have already been brought under cultivation, sources said. Earlier, the buffer stock authorities supplied 7,900 metric tons of urea for distribution through 102 dealers in Gaibandha district. Of those, over 3,000 tonnes were imported from China in December and most of the bags were damaged, they said. Although the district administration stopped selling those fertiliser in the first week of February, but the buffer stock officials are still supplying the fertiliser to the dealers, said Mahbub Alam Ripon, secretary of district fertiliser traders' association.
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