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FERTILISER SUPPLIERS' STRIKE

Importers' conflict peaks crisis

REAZ AHMAD
With no signs of a let up in fertiliser suppliers' strike across the country that began on Monday, conflicts within Bangladesh Fertiliser Association (BFA) are coming tolight.
BFA Chairman Kofiluddin Ahmed blamed the finance ministry's inertia in releasing outstanding fertiliser subsidy amounting to Tk 60 crore.
But a ruling BNP lawmaker, also a fertiliser indenter, alleged over invoicing of imported fertiliser -triple super phosphate (TSP), murate of potash (MoP) and diammonium phosphate (DAP) -meant for marketing with 25 percent
price subsidy.
The lawmaker, who also happens to be a BFA leader, smelt a rat in the entire process of privately imported fertiliser, for which the government introduced 25 percent subsidy for the first time in the last fiscal year. He however sought anonymity.
The BFA leadership and fertiliser importers however squarely blamed the BNP lawmaker, also a member of the parliamentary standing committee on agriculture, for spearheading a campaign against fertiliser subsidy as most of the fertiliser importers no more go to his firm.
Over 3,000 fertiliser dealers and
farmers in the country are experiencing the pinch of supply stoppage for the last three days.
Sources said internal conflicts of the BFA and certain powerful quarters' loss of monopoly in fertiliser business have led to the long delay in release of the subsidy fund from the finance ministry.
Finance Secretary Siddiqur Rahman Chowdhury, contacted on Tuesday, declined to explain the delay.
In the wake of Tuesday's inconclusive meeting between the agriculture minister and a BFA delegation
Importers'
FROM PAG 16
over the crisis, the parliamentary standing committee on agriculture meets this morning mainly to address this issue.
Unless the crisis is resolved immediately, it would badly affect boro, potato and other winter crop production this season.
The indefinite fertiliser supply stoppage came at a time when farmers use 80 percent of their yearly fertiliser requirement for growing boro, potato and other winter crops.
The government introduced 25 percent subsidy on imported fertilisers including TSP, MoP, and DAP in the last fiscal year. Under the new arrangement, fertiliser importers started selling their imported stock with a 25 percent rebate.
The importers received Tk 171 crore of the allocated Tk 271 crore rebate. The rest remains unpaid since last June.
Approval of an amount of Tk 60 crore is pending with the finance ministry for months while the agriculture ministry is scrutinising the bills for another Tk 20 crore and the deputy commissioners are yet to approve the remaining Tk 20 crore.
Refuting allegations of importing fertiliser meant for subsidised sale at inflated price, BFA Chairman
Kofiluddin Ahmed told The Daily Star yesterday that several layers of cross-check mechanisms are there in the government's fertiliser subsidy policy. “Had we over-invoiced, the agriculture ministry would not have approved the bills and forwarded the same to the finance."