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Good aman outlook can’t beat farmers' worry

REAZ AHMAD, back from Camilla
The recent rise in diesel and fertiliser prices has sent a chill to otherwise happy Comilla farmers faring for a good harvest in aman crop.
Crop growers at farm-rich Srimantapur \lkige under Chandina in Comilla expressed a deep sense of worry at recent price Irikes of potash, triple super phosphate (TSP) and diesel, which they use for running irrigation pumps in the farmlands.
Chandina farmers, known for their aptitude in growing quality vegetables, potatoes in particular, feared that the rise in TSP and pot-
ash prices along with repeated inflation in diesel prices would make potato and boro farming difficult.
Talking to visiting journalists on Tuesday, they complained that a 50-kg bag of potash is now selling at Tk 600 compared to Tk 410 a year ago, while a 50-kg bag of TSI’ produced by the state-run factory of Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation (BC1C), is selling at Tk 950 compared toTk750 last year.
Local fertiliser dealer Nuruzzaman Bhuiyan did not contradict the farmers' complaints, but said, "BCICsupplics only LOpcrccnt of the country's TSP requirements
while the rest comes mainly from China and Tunisia. We'rc now.selling the imported TSP at Tk 600 a bag, downTk 100 from last year's price of Tk 700, as the government has given subsidiesto TSPimporters."
However, Nayak Md Abu Taher, an elderly grower who now cares more for farming after retiring from the Bangladesh Army, reminded that "the quality of imported TSP is nowhere near the homegrown one. Besides there are fears of purchasing adulteratcdfertiliser."
It appeared both from the dealers and users' sides that they were quite happy with the current stable price
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of urea, which sells at Tk 300 per 50-kg bag. Urea, widely used in rice fields,Is a highly subsidised chemical fertiliser in Bangladesh.
Srimantapur village's farmers -namely Abdul Kader, Mahmudur Rahman Bhuiyan, and Ramizuddin all had one common complaint: since 2001 the diesel price rose several times before stabilising now at Ik 30 a litre pushing up every time the ouqiut costs of potato and boro.
"After harvesting the standing aman crop in the field, we'll go for potato cultivation. But, repeatedlukes in diesel price would straightaway double up the irrigation costs fromTk 1500 an acre toTk 3000 now," claimed Abdul Kader, expressing fear that "if thecurrentlowrateofpotatoes Tk5-6 a kg persists, producing potatoes in tile coming season would not be cost-effective."
Retired Senior Warrant Officer-turned full-time farmer. Ramizuddin urged the government to subsidise diesel, used for irrigation purposes to save crop growers from bearing the brunt of enhanced input costs.
Despite a deep sense of worry at enhanced input costs, most of the Chandina farmers appeared to have put up a happy face thanks to favourable weather and no major pest attacks, promising them a good aman harvestamonth and halffromnow.
Some growers complained about problem weed infestation, which they mostiy conquered by usingan effective weedicide called Rifit, while others used farm labourers to'manually comb-out the weeds in aman Gelds.