The government has moved to import another 150,000 tonnes of MOP (muriate of potash) fertiliser from Russia and Canada under government-to-government (G2G) deals to avoid a shortage. The agriculture ministry has sent four proposals to the cabinet committee on government purchase for approval.
Sources said the four proposed shipments will cost about Tk 567 crore. The country currently has 242,500 tonnes of the fertiliser in stock.
Demand this fiscal year is 950,000 tonnes, and a further 300,000 tonnes is needed as a safety stock.
The cabinet purchase committee was scheduled to meet virtually on Zoom at 7:15pm on Wednesday, 28 October, chaired by Finance and Planning Minister Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury.
According to the agriculture ministry, the proposal is to buy 80,000 tonnes of MOP from Canada and 70,000 tonnes from Russia. The cabinet earlier approved imports of 600,000 tonnes, and private importers have been allowed to bring in 250,000 tonnes. A total of 850,000 tonnes under public and private arrangements is due to arrive by December.
Under the proposal, 80,000 tonnes will be bought from the Canadian Commercial Corporation (CCC) in two shipments of 40,000 tonnes under a G2G deal. Another 70,000 tonnes will be imported from Russia’s JSC Foreign Economic Corporation (Prodintorg) in two shipments of 35,000 tonnes. In all, 150,000 tonnes will come in four shipments.
The seventh shipment of 40,000 tonnes from Canada is proposed to be loaded between 1 and 15 November. It had been planned for December but was brought forward in view of stocks and demand in the field. The proposed price is $382.38 a tonne, putting the cost of the 40,000 tonnes at about Tk 188.90 crore.
The eighth shipment would bring another 40,000 tonnes from Canada, and the ninth and tenth 35,000 tonnes each, 70,000 tonnes in all, from Russia. Importing the 150,000 tonnes will cost about Tk 567 crore in total.
The government believes that besides demand of 950,000 tonnes of MOP in the 2026-27 fiscal year, an extra 300,000 tonnes must be kept as a safety stock, for a total need of 1.25 million tonnes. Stocks now stand at 242,500 tonnes. The agriculture ministry’s proposal says demand for MOP from November to February will reach 506,000 tonnes. Approval, shipping and delivery within the country take 80 to 90 days, so the government has moved quickly to meet farmers’ needs in the coming season and keep a safety stock.
The cabinet purchase committee meeting also has a proposal to buy 10 million 30-kg sacks for the food ministry through 50 packages under the electronic government procurement (e-GP) system.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report