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Govt to engage 1,500 BADC dealers to distribute fertiliser

Porimol Palma
The government has decided in principle to incorporate around 1,500 seed dealers of Bangladesh Agriculture Development Corporation (BADC) temporarily into the fertiliser distribution system for ensuring uninterrupted supply of the agri-input during the current boro season.
"We are examining the procedures because agriculture production should not be hampered by any means, even if a fertiliser dealer fails to cooperate," Agriculture Secretary Sheikh Enayet Ullah told The Daily Star yesterday.
The movetcomes in line with the government's commitment to bring down the prices of food commodities shortly by slashing production cost and to achieve autarky in food.
At present, over 5,000 authorised fertiliser dealers sell fertilisers across the country through their agents or directly to the farmers.
The government has set the paddy production target at 1.8 crore metric tons on 46 lakh hectares of land during the current Boro season that began in late December.
To that end, the newly-elected Awami League government on January 14 reduced the prices of non-urea fertilisers by almost 50 percent giving a subsidy of aboutTk2,700 crore.
The previous caretaker government set a rule that the farmers needed to collect cards from the local Union Parishad chairman and members to buy fertiliser. The rule was made to make sure that no one (excepting farmers) can buy fertiliser.
The present government scrapped the rule, Agriculture Secretary Enayet Ullah said, adding that the government, however, will not tolerate any mismanagement and has already strengthened monitoringsystem.
"In any case, if there are any mistakes or any trader does not cooperate by chance, the BADC seed dealers will work as alternative so that Boro rice production does not suffer,” Enayet Ullah said.
Another official at the agriculture ministry said dealers registered with the Department of Agriculture Extension- sell fertilisers and~ the BADC seed dealers might also be allowed to sell fertilisers during this boro season without registration as an interim arrangement.
Enayet Ullah said the government does not have any other plan to make changes in the existing fertiliser distribution system, but monitors it closely.
"Let us see how it works at least during the present Boro season," the secretary said.
Asked about the government's decision to include BADC seed dealers in fertiliser supply system, Bangladesh Fertiliser Association chairman Kafil Uddin Ahmed said if it is an interim arrangement in any emergency, then the government can go ahead withit.
"But inclusion of the seed dealers in the fertiliser supply system permanently can never be accepted," he told The Daily Star.