Fertiliser kept under open sky in Gaibandha
Buffer stock godown lacks space, damage feared due to exposure to dense fog
Thousands of sacks of urea fertiliser stacked under the open sky on the premises of Gaibandha buffer stock godown remain vulnerable to clotting and quality deterioration due to exposure to dense fog and drizzle.Photo: STAR
Huge urea fertiliser allocated for the cultivation of rabi and boro crop in this current season is kept under the open sky due to space shortage in the buffer stock godown in Gaibandha district. If kept in the open for long, the fertiliser may get clotted and deteriorate in quality due to exposure to dense fog and drizzle, said fertiliser dealers. The Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) sought allocation of 58,000 tonnes of urea for Gaibandha district in this crop season. Of it, 29,052 tonnes is meant for boro farming. Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation (BCIC) allocated 9,117 tonnes for January, 11,657 tonnes for February and 8,268 tonnes for March. The district buffer stock authority has already received supply of 9,485 tonnes of fertiliser. The authorities pressed 4,500 tonnes of fertiliser into the 2,000-tonne capacity buffer stock godown while around 5,000 tonnes has been kept in the open space on the godown compound. On Monday, 25 more trucks loaded with fertiliser reached the buffer stock premise as part of the ongoing process of fertiliser supply from BCIC. Hyder Ali, in-charge of the district buffer stock, said they have no godown of their own. BCIC leased the existing buffer stock godown from BADC that is assigned to distribute fertiliser among the dealers. "In last boro season, huge fertiliser clotted in the buffer stock godown and the dealers filed complaint with BCIC, as farmers declined to accept such fertiliser. The authority did not take initiative regarding the matter and the dealers stopped drawing fertiliser despite the threat of license cancellation," said Ataur Rahman, a fertiliser dealer in the municipality area. "Fertiliser kept in the open space for long may clot due to dense fog and rain. Farmers do not want to buy such fertiliser as they face problem while spraying it in the crop field," said Abdul Latif Hakkani, vice-president of Gaibandha fertiliser distributors association. "Most of the fertiliser needed during boro and rabi season is distributed from the buffer stock. Every year we face difficulty with huge amount of fertiliser for want of adequate godowns. The higher authority was informed of the matter on several occasions, but no step has been taken to solve the problem as yet," said Mir Md Abdur Razzak, deputy director of DAE, Gaibandha.
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