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Fertilizer at Lower Prices

Little impact in north dists as most dealers not selling at new rates

Star National Desk
The government's decision to sell non-urea fertiliser at subsidised rates is yet to leave any noticeable impact on the Boro farmers in the northern region as they failed to procure chemical fertiliser during the last couple of days due to dealers' unwillingness to sell stocked fertilizer at reduced prices.
Fertilizer dealers in Nilphamari district said they would incur huge loss if they have to sell chemical fertilizer at new rates as they have huge stock of fertilizer that was purchased earlier at much higher rates from the importers, reports our correspondent.
The government has taken decision to give subsidy on TSP, MOP and DAP making its price to down to about half of its previous prices. However, the price of urea remains the same as before.
Several dealers said they already purchased from the importers a bag (of 50 kg) TSP at Tk 3475, a bag of MOP at Tk 2160 and that of DAP at Tk 4500.
In a meeting chaired by Nilphamari deputy commissioner on Thursday, the district monitoring committee
directed the fertiliser dealers to sell three variety of chemical fertiliser at prices prescribed by the government.
Accordingly the dealers are to sell a bag ofTSP at Tk 2000, a bag of MOP at Tk 1750 and a bagofDAPatTk2250.
In the meeting, the representatives of fertiliser dealers requested the monitoring committee to exempt their previously purchased chemi cal fertilizer from the newly introduced selling prices but the authorities turned down the request saying that there was no instruction yet in this regard, said several dealers.
Sources at district unit of Bangladesh Fertilizer Association (BFA) informed that for the ensuing Boro season they have stocked till 15 January 250 tonne of Triple Super Phosphate (TSP), 225 tonne of Murate of Potash (MOP) and 1 tonne Di-Ammonium Phosphate (DAP) besides 3,837 tonne urea.
"The government is now giving about 55 percent subsidy to the stocked chemical fertilizer of the importers. But the dealers are deprived of getting such subsidy although they procured the fertilizer at high prices earlier,” district unit of BFA President Abdul Waited said.
Many dealers will lose their capital if they have to sell their stocked chemical fertiliser at the present reduced prices, he said.
Our R a n g p u r Correspondent adds:
Fanners of greater Rangpur region are happy with the government decision for slashing of the prices of non-urea fertilizers but said the disbursement system should be made easier to help farmers get its full benefit.
"Due to the subsidy for non-urea fertilizers, farmers will be able to produce with much lower cost. It will lead to increase of production in the area," said Alamgir Choudhury, convener of Rangpur Krishi Unnayan Porishad, an organisation of agricultural farmers of greater Rangpur region.
' He urged the government to execute the decision as early as possible so that the farmers are able to get the benefit during the current season.
President of Rangpur Chamber of Commerce and Industry Mostafa Azad Choudhury also hailed the government decision to give subsidy for non-urea fertilisers.
Due to price hike of agricul-
tural imputes including diesel and fertilizers,
Many small and marginal farmers of the area, who had stopped cultivation and lent their land to the big farmers in the recent past, are now eyeing starting farming on their own land again.
Farmers want introduction of open market policy regarding fertilizer disbursement to facilitate its easy availability.
At present, farmers have to collect recommendation from the sub-assistant agriculture officer of the concerned union before collecting fertilisers from the concerned dealer. Farmers tenned the system as 'hazardous and time consuming'.
Former UP member and a big farmer of Sarai Union under Kounia upazila Mostaque Ahmed suggested that if the sub-dealers sell fertilizers on every hat day, the farmers would not need to run after the SAOs and the BCIC dealers.
Small farmer Mojibor Rahman, who is also a former member of Sarai Union Parishad, said farmers will not get the full benefit of reduced price of non-urea fertilizers if they have to wait for days to collect recommendation of the SAOs.