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5 lakh bags of urea kept in the open

Space constraints in N-region depots

Ahmed Humayun Kabir Topu, back from Baghabari, Sirajganj
More than 25,000 tonnes of urea is at the risk of damage as it has been kept in the open on the bank of Jamuna river in Sirajganj and Pabna due to shortage of buffer depots.
Of the amount, some 20 thousand tonnes were piled at Baghabari port in Sirajganj while about five thousand tonnes at Nagarbari port in Pabna in early January, port sources have said.
The fertiliser (five lakh bags) was imported from China for the 16 northern districts to be used in the current Boro season (January-May). Each 50-kg bag of urea is sold at around Tk 1,000 in local market.
The 14 buffer depots in the region are all filled up with fertiliser, said Altaf Hossain Sarkar, a lessee of Baghabari port. "We've covered the heaps with tarpaulin to protect those from rain," he said, adding that 40 security guards have been appointed to watch those.
"The 14 depots can store up to two lakh tonnes of fertiliser. But we've 2.84 lakh tonnes of fertiliser in the region now," saidAnis Uddin, general manager of the regional buffer depots.
He added that the excess fertiliser has been kept out in the open.
Of the 2.84 lakh tonnes, 1.5 lakh tonnes were allocated by the government in January. Although the dealers are supposed to clear their stocks within a month, they withdrew only 22,000 tonnes last month, depot sources said.
A section of dealers delay to take their stocks, intending to extract maximum profit by creating an artificial crisis and selling those at a high price afterwards, Anis alleged.
But a number of dealers told The Daily Star that they sometimes hesitate to take delivery since the demand for Chinese fertiliser is low due to its poor quality.
“Some of the urea turn
rock solid in bags. So farmers don't want to use them,” said Abul Kalam Azad, regional vice-president of Bangladesh Fertiliser Association.
Rise in fertiliser prices is another reason why there is less demand for fertiliser and why some dealers are reluctant to take their stocks for sale, said Abul Hossain Khan, former director of the association.
"Last year, a bag of urea sold atTk 545 at depots. It has jumped to Tk 945 this year," he said.
Anis Uddin, however, says all these are "lameexcuses".
"During crisis, dealers sell it [fertiliser] at high prices. Now that fertiliser is available, they are coming up with such lame excuses,” he said.
Dealers and port officials, however, said the government should set up more buffer depots in the region.
“The existing ones are not enough to hold the huge quantity of fertiliser for the northern districts," said Abdur Razzak, an officer at Baghabariport.
The government will provide 11.95 lakh tonnes of fertiliser throughout the year forthe region.