The government has fixed price of Urea at Tk 16 per kg for the dealers and farmers, Agriculture Minister Matia Chowdhury says.
At Sunday’s media briefing, she said the move aimed at ensuring food security in Bangladesh.
The new price would take effect immediately.
Matia said, “We took the decision to cut the production cost of crops, as the price of fertiliser is stable in the international market.”
After the Awami League government came to power, it had revised the urea price upward to Tk 20 per kg from the Tk 12.
Acting Agriculture Secretary SM Nazmul Islam said the adjustment in Urea prices would cost the government an additional Tk 6.8 billion per year.
He said Bangladesh’s current fertiliser imports stood at 1.75 metric tons against a yearly requirement of 2.45 metric tons.
Matia said the urea price was reduced in three phases after her government assumed office.
“We believe the government took timely steps to ensure a stable agricultural production. I will continue to stand by the farmers in future,” she said.
The minister claimed her government reduced the price of per kg of TSP fertilised to Tk 22 from TK 80 in three stages.
Each kg of Muriate of Potash (MOP) and DAP is being sold at Tk 15 and Tk 27, respectively. “Earlier, they sold at Tk 70 and Tk 90,” she added.
“The farmers keep on increasing production, though land is shrinking every year,” she said.
Matia then reminded her audience about the harassment faced by the farmers when the BNP and the Jamaat-e-Islami were in power.
“We don’t want to suppress the farmers,” she said.
Asked whether the move to lower the urea price had any connection with votes, she said, “It’s not like that. BNP could have done this, why didn’t they? Eighteen farmers were killed during their tenure.”
“Not a single gas field was discovered during the BNP’s tenure. The price of fertiliser has decreased as there is less gas crisis now following the discovery of many gas fields under our regime.”
Source: bdnews24
