Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday (November 12, 2023) urged the people to boldly face any situation saying that Bangladesh will surely overcome manmade disasters like arson violence. “We will take Bangladesh forward, surely overcoming manmade disasters like arson violence as we face the natural disasters. I would like to tell the countrymen to boldly face any situation,” she said. The premier was addressing the inaugural ceremony of the Ghorashal-Palash Urea Fertilizer Factory (GPUFF) – the largest of its kind in Southeast Asia - in Narsingdi. She said Bangladesh will move forward commodity price hike has emerged due to external factors like wars, economic sanctions and global inflation. She once again called upon the people not leave even a single inch of land uncultivated to ensure Bangladesh would never need to beg anyone for food. Read: PM places 5 recommendations to end Israeli carnage in Palestine She said Bangladesh today is a developing country, which would move forward further and be Smart Bangladesh, having a smart population, smart government, smart economy and smart society. She said Bangladesh faced repeated obstacles in its development journey, but none could stop its progress. “None would be able to stop this progress of Bangladesh anymore,” she said. She said the Awami League refused a foreign proposal to sell gas abroad before the 2001 generation election. That caused her party’s defeat in the election. But BNP leader Khaleda Zia agreed to it and won the vote, she said. The PM said had she yielded to the pressure that day Bangladesh would not have seem such an excellent fertilizer factory today. Read: Vote for AL to help finish incomplete dev projects: PM Hasina A number of farmers were killed during the BNP regime as they had agitated demanding fertilizers in different places including Gaibandha and Tangail, she added. The PM said no shortage of urea fertilizer was seen anywhere in the country in the last 15 years thanks to its uninterrupted distribution and import of this fertilizer. “Now there is an enough stock of fertilizers in the country,” she said.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday (November 12, 2023) opened newly built Ghorashal-Palash Urea Fertilizer Factory (GPUFF), the largest of its kind in Southeast Asia, which will reduce the country’s dependence on fertiliser imports and create jobs. The annual production capacity of the environment friendly and modern fertiliser factory in Narsingdi is some 1 million metric tons, capable of producing 2,800 metric tons of urea daily. the local demand for urea fertilizer is some 26 lakh metric tons annually. If this newly built plant goes in full swing production, some 20 lakh metric tons of urea will be produced yearly in the country.So, the factory will play a leading role in meeting the growing demand of urea fertiliser, ensuring supply of fertilizers to farmers at affordable prices, saving foreign currency by reducing imports and creating employment opportunities. Bangladeshi farmers need to use fertilizer and water efficiently: Experts Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation (BCIC) has implemented the 'Ghorashal Polash Urea Fertilizer Project' on 110 acres of land at a cost of around Tk 15,500 crore. The construction work for the project began on March 10, 2020. Out of the total project cost, TK 4,580.21 crore came from the government exchequer while Tk 10,920 crore from Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC), Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFG Limited (MUFG) and the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited (HSBC) as commercial loan. As per the instruction of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in 2014, the industries ministry took an initiative to set up a new granular urea fertiliser factory at the place of the existing two fertiliser factories - Urea Fertiliser Factory Limited (UFFL) and Polash Urea Fertilizer Factory Limited (PUFFL) at Ghorashal under Palash upazila in Narsingdi district. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Limited (MHI) and China National Chemical Engineering No 7 Construction Co Ltd (CC-7) jointly constructed the factory, which will have an annual production capacity of 9.24 lakh metric tons. The daily production capacity of the new factory is about three times higher than that of the earlier two fertiliser factories. GPUFF is the first fertiliser factory in Bangladesh where the environmental pollutant Carbon-Di-Oxide (CO2) will be captured from the primary reformer flue gas and the production of urea fertilizer will be increased (about 10pc ) by using the captured CO2. The prime minister released a commemorative postage stamp, marking the inauguration of the factory. Earlier, PM Sheikh Hasina inspected the factory. Fertilizer price increased by 105% in Bangladesh since Russia-Ukraine war: Report

The High Court on Thursday asked Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation (BCIC) authority to give an explanation over the embezzlement of 72,000 tonnes of imported chemical fertilisers that caused the government a loss of Tk 582 crore. The HC bench of Justice Md Nazrul Islam Talukder and Justice Khizir Hayat passed the order on a suo moto move after taking a report published in a national daily into cognizance. BCIC chairman has been asked to submit an explanation in this regard on January 20. Read more: HC questions legality of primary school teacher recruitment on quota basis Besides, the court ordered the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) to investigate the matter and submit a report within 60 days. The HC also issued a rule questioning why the failure and negligence of the authorities concerned to take action against those involved in the embezzlement should not be declared illegal. Advocate Khurshid Alam Khan appeared for the ACC in the court while Deputy Attorney General AKM Amin Uddin Manik and Assistant Attorney General Anna Khanam Koli represented the state. A national daily published a report today (Thursday) stating that Poton Traders, the contractor in charge of transportation, has allegedly embezzled 72,000 tonnes of government imported chemical fertilisers without delivering them to the warehouse after release from the port. The government has suffered a financial loss of Tk 582 crore for this embezzlement. Read more: HC issues rule on migration system in admission process Former Member of Parliament Kamrul Ashraf Khan (Poton) is the owner of Potton Traders. The fertiliser embezzlement by Potton Traders has come to light in two investigations by the BCIC, a government body under the Ministry of Industry that imports  fertilizer. The fertilisers were released between November, 2021 and May 15, 2022. BCIC has not taken any legal action even after seven months of non-supply of fertiliser. BCIC sent a letter to the Ministry of Industries December 20 last year seeling  instructions for taking legal action.

The Cabinet Committee on Public Purchase approved four proposals, including the procurement of 30,000 metric tons (MT) of bagged granular urea fertiliser from Karnaphuli Fertiliser Company Ltd (Kafco) at a cost of Tk 90.72 crore.

Imports of rice and fertilisers were among 10 proposals approved by the Cabinet Committee on Public Purchase on Wednesday.

The Cabinet Committee on Public Purchase has approved 12 procurement proposals including the import of rice, fertiliser and petroleum.

The Cabinet Committee on Public Purchase on Wednesday approved eight proposals, including the import of 1.3 million metric tons of crude oil and 105,000 metric tons of fertilizer from foreign sources.

The Cabinet Committee on Public Purchase on Wednesday approved seven procurement proposals worth of Tk 474.12 crore including 80,000 metric tons of urea fertilizer at Tk 174.09 crore.

Karnaphuli Paper Mills (KPM) is producing disinfectant bleach to keep its production flow running by ensuring health protection of the factory officials, employees and workers amid COVID-19 outbreak.