The government has taken an initiative to enhance the fertiliser storage capacity of the godowns of the Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation through renovating the existing ones alongside building some more steel godowns. The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council recently approved a project to this end titled ‘Maintenance, Rehabilitation and Strengthening Fertiliser Management Activity of the Existing Fertiliser Godowns of BADC’.
BADC under the agriculture ministry will implement the project at a cost of Tk 134.30 crore to be entirely borne by the government exchequer. The project area will cover 115 upazilas of all the 64 districts to be completed by June 2018.
Talking to the news agency, a planning ministry official said that under the project, some 118 existing godowns would be renovated apart from building 14 pre-fabricated steel godowns to increase the fertiliser storage capacity of BADC. Besides, some 6,000 dunnage racks would be set up at the godowns alongside building 46 office building.
The official informed that the project also aimed at enabling the environment of the godowns suitable for fertiliser storage, ensure distribution of standard fertiliser among the farmers, digitalising the fertiliser management activity through mobile and online software and build skilled manpower through proper training to strengthen the fertiliser management activity. Necessary infrastructures will also be built under the project to ease fertiliser transportation.
Contacted, an official at the BADC informed that the fertiliser storage capacity of the corporation is currently 1.33 lakh metric tonnes whereas the demand for high-quality fertiliser imported by the BADC is increasing every year.
As a result, the godowns have to store two to three times more fertiliser than its capacity while the sacks filled with fertiliser also have to be kept directly on the floor due to lack of dunnage racks at the godowns.
BADC started importing and distributing non-urea (TSP and MOP) fertiliser on limited basis from the financial year 2006-07 while it also started importing DAP fertiliser from the FY11. The quantity of fertiliser import and distribution by the BADC from the FY12 totalled 18,29,737 tonnes and 16,01,944 tonnes respectively.
The official also noted that the godowns of the BADC were built in the 60s while most of those rooftops, walls and other infrastructures are dilapidated as those godowns remained in private operation for long following privatisation of fertiliser management.
The BADC official also hoped that once the project was completed with the renovation of the existing godowns alongside building 14 steel ones, it would be possible to store additional fertiliser, which would help properly distribution of fertiliser among the farmers in due time and thus play an important role in boosting food production.
The Pre-Evaluation Committee meeting on the project was held on May 29 this year where the Planning Commission recommended giving approval to the project.
-With New Age input
