Dhaka, Bangladesh (BBN)- The government has set a target to procure 1.5 million tones of urea ahead of the Boro season of the fiscal year (FY) 2012-13 to avoid crisis of the fertilizer, officials said.
The government will import 800000 tones of urea from three Middle East countries, according to the target.
Four lakh (400000) tones from Karnaphuli Fertiliser Company (KAFCO) and another three lakh (300000) tones through the international tenders, they added.
The government has already signed contacts with the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), KAFCO Qatar and the government of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to import 800000 tones of urea.
Besides, the local urea fertilizer factories also will produce 1.0 million tones of urea this year. The country has a stock of urea fertilizer of 425000 tones at factory and buffer godown of the state-run Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation (BCIC).
“The government already has imported 120000 tones of urea from three Middle East countries and the rest 680000 tones will reach the country by the end of this calendar year." a BCIC senior official said.
Currently, three fertilizer factories, Jamuna, Ashuganj and Fenchuganj fertilizer factories are in operation and the rest three fertilizer factories, Gorashal, Polash and the Chittagong Fertilizer factory will resume their operation shortly, he added.
In FY `13, the country's total demand for fertilizer is almost 4.8 million tones ---where 2.5 million tones of urea and 2.3 million tones of non-urea and almost 60-65 per cent fertilizer are used in boro season, they added.
BBN/SSR/AD-28Aug12-10:40 am (BST)
