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.

The government will import 1.5 lakh tonnes of TSP fertilizer from Tunisia in 2023. Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC) and Tunisian Chemical Group (GCT-Groupe Chimique Tunisien) signed an agreement in this regard on Tuesday at Tunis, capital of Tunisia. BADC Chairman Abdullah Sazzad and GCT General manager Mohammed Ridha Shalgam signed the agreement on behalf of their respective sides. Also Read: Govt okays fertilizer import, procurement of container scanner systems BADC has been importing TSP fertilizer from Tunisia under government to government basis since 2008. The TSP fertilizer from Tunisia has a demand in Bangladesh due to its good quality.              

A worker of a fertilizer-laden cargo vessel died after falling off the BADC pontoon into the Kirtankhola River in KDC Ghat area of the district town on Tuesday evening. Md Farid, 28, was son of Shah Alam of Nasarabad upazila of Pirojpur district. He had been working on the  'MV Faxfala’ for almost 9 months. Jakir Hossain, master of the ‘MV Faxfala’, said co-workers noticed someone falling off the pontoon in the evening.  Read more: Shipbreaking worker falls to death in Chattogram's Sitakunda As Farid was missing since the incident, a team of divers from the concerned station rushed to the spot and recovered the body beneath the pontoon, said Belal Uddin, assistant director at Barishal Fire Service and Civil Defence department. The body was handed over to Master Jakir later, he added.

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 Government Purchase (CCGP) has approved a number of proposals including import of a total of 140,000 metric tons (MT) of fertilizer  and procurement of 6 complete container scanner systems for custom houses. The committee in a virtual meeting on Wednesday, with Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal in the chair, gave the nod to the proposals. As per a proposal placed by the Internal Resources Division of the Finance Ministry, the National Board of Revenue (NBR) will procure the six complete sets of container scanner systems for different custom houses from Nuctech Company Ltd. at a cost of Tk 327.01 crore. It also approved a proposal of the Ministry of Agriculture’s to import 50,000 MT of Muriate of Potash (MOP) from Canadian Commercial Corporation under a state-level contract at a cost of Tk 414.13 crore. The Ministry of Industries’ three separate proposals received the nod of the committee for the import of 90,000 MT of urea fertilizer by the Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation (BCIC). Read: Control room opens for monitoring fertilizer situation Of these, BCIC will import 30,000 MT of bulk granular urea from Fertiglobe Distribution Limited, the UAE, at a cost of Tk 188.93 crore while the same quantity of bulk granular urea will be imported from Muntajat, Qatar at the same cost. The BCIC will procure another 30,000 MT of bagged granular urea from Karnaphuli Fertiliser Company Limited (Kafco) at a cost of Tk 185.12 crore.

The Cabinet Committee on Government Purchase (CCGP) on Thursday approved some 13 procurement proposals including import of sugar and fertilizer. Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal presided over the virtual meeting while other members of the committee attended it. As per the proposal placed by the Commerce Ministry, its subordinate body Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) will import 12,500 metric tons of sugar from Brazil. Local company JMI Export-Import will supply the sugar from Brazil at a total value of Tk 65.98 crore with per metric ton costing at $524. State marketing agency Trading Corporation of Bangladesh(TCB) moved to import the bulk sugar amid the growing price of such essential commodity. As per the proposal of the Agriculture Ministry, its subordinate body Bangladesh Agriculture Development Corporation (BADC) will import 100,000 MT of MOP fertilizer from a Polish company at a contract value of 906.69 crore. The Ministry of Industries placed a proposal to procure 30,000 MT of bagged granular urea fertilizer from local company Karnaphuli Fertiliser Company Ltd (Kafco) at contract value of Tk 191.03 crore.  Read more: Bangladesh to buy fertiliser at lower cost, thanks to declining global price Another similar proposal of the BCIC for the import of 30,000 MT of bulk granular urea from Muntajat of Qatar at a cost of Tk 201.78 crore under state contract also received the approval of the CCGP. The Primary and Mass Education Ministry’s proposal to award Tk 25.89 crore contract of the National Curriculum and Textbooks Board (NCTB) to different contractors for printing, binding and supplying 75.93 lakh of Bangla and English version of textbooks for 3d, 4th and 5th grades of students also received the nod of the CCGP. The committee approved two separate proposals of the Shipping Ministry to award contracts for dredging of different rivers under different lots. Three proposals of the Roads and Highways Department were placed by the Roads Transport and Highways Division for the meeting which received approval of the committee. Of these, the Roads and Highways Department will award a Tk 269.87 crore contract to Joint Venture of 1. ICT; 2. IRD; and 3. SHELADIA to appoint a consultant for the Dhaka Dhaka-Sylhet Corridor Development project under South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation (Sasec). Read  more: TCB to procure 1.65 cr litres of edible oil from local suppliers again It will award Tk 896.81 crore contract to Joint Venture of 1. Enez, Turkey and 2. TCCL, Bangladesh for civil construction works under Lot No-DS-11 of WP-06 package of the Sasec. A contract of Tk 576.05 crore will be awarded by the Roads and Highways Department to Sinohydro Engineering Bureau 8 Corporation Ltd., China for lot No-DSA of the package-6 of the Sasec project.  

Vehicular movement on the Jamalpur-Mymensingh highway remained suspended for half an hour as several hundred farmers staged a demonstration by blocking the road after failing to purchase fertilizers in time in Sadar upazila of Jamalpur on Monday. The farmers thronged the entrance of a fertilizer shop named M/s Haidar Traders in Nandina from 7am to 9am to purchase fertilizer, within the stipulated window for fertiliser sales at the shop. But the shop never opened on Monday morning, and when the rally reached the area it halted vehicular movement. Later, normal traffic resumed around 10am as the farmers cleared the road following assurances from the Sadar Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO). Also read: Govt considering diesel subsidy for Boro farmers: Agriculture Minister Contacted, Haidar Ali, the owner of the shop and approved dealer, said he only got 14 metric tonnes of fertilizer and he was able to keep only 7 MT in his shop at a time. In the morning, he got frightened seeing the huge number of farmers in front of his shop and fled the scene. He questioned himself: “How could I distribute the meagre amount I had in stock (147 sacks, as he said) among the huge number of farmers?” Litun Lorence, Sadar Upazila Nirbahi Officer, said “There is no crisis of fertilizer and the dealers are selling fertilizers as per the government directives." Also read: Drought dashes dreams of Khulna farmers This year, 31 hectares of land have been brought under Aman cultivation in Sadar upazila, and 928 MT of fertilizers have been allocated for this area, according to Dilruba Yeasmin, upazila agriculture officer.

Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) arrested 13 people accused in a case filed over the recovery of counterfeit TSP fertilizers brought from Chattogram for a gowdown in Bogura on Thursday night.   The elite force rounded them up from the buffer warehouse of Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation (BCIC) in Tinmatha area of the Bogura town. The arrestees are identified as Nur Hossain, Abul Bashar, Jasim, Sohail, Asadul, Babu, Abdul Awal, Tarek, Shakil, another Shakil, Hanif, Jahangir Alam and Shah Alam. They are the drivers and helpers of the trucks that carried the fertilizer. Md Towhidul Mobin Khan, squadron leader of Rab-12, disclosed the news of the arrest at a press conference at his office on Friday. He said 17 trucks of M/S MHR Corporation, which was appointed to carry the fertilizers to Buffer godown of the BCIC in Bogura from Chattogram, started their journey from the port city on August 27. Drivers and helpers of seven trucks unloaded real fertilizers from their vehicles and replaced them with counterfeit ones during a stopover in Savar area of Dhaka, the Rab officer said. The drivers and helpers of the seven trucks numbering 13 people were arrested from the Buffer godown on the arrival of the test report on Thursday night, he said. Mentionable, on information the warehouse authorities seized 238 metric tonnes (MT) of TSP fertilizer suspecting counterfeit in front of the godown on August 29, Read: 238 MT of TSP fertilizers seized on suspicion of being counterfeit Reacting to the incident, the authority of TSP fertilizer factory in Chattogram formed a three member probe committee headed by its Manager (Admin) Mazharul Islam and asked for a report within three working days. The probe body collected samples from the all trucks and sent them to the two respective labs for experiment. Md Shahidul Islam, chief scientific officer of Rajshahi Soil Resource Development Institute, said they found evidence of counterfeit fertilizers in the samples collected from seven out of the 17 trucks. Acting on the test report, TSP fertilizer factory Officer Mazharul filed the case against 14 people including the M/S MHR Corporation’s owner Moazzem Hossain at the local police station. Selim Reza, Officer-in-charge of Bogura Sadar Police Station, said efforts are on to nab the main accused Moazzem.

Industries Minister Nurul Majid Mahmud Humayun on Friday said Bangladesh meets the demand for urea with local production besides importing it from other countries. “Now Bangladesh has enough stock of urea fertilizer,” he said, replying to a question from journalists at Tungipara in Gopalganj. Earlier, a team led by the Industries Minister and State Minister for Industries Kamal Ahmed Majumder paid homage to Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman placing wreaths at his mausoleum in Tungipara, said a PID handout here. Read: Urea fertilizer price to readjusted in line with global market rate: Minister Nurul Majid said the prices of cement and rod have increased. The government has been making efforts to ease the sufferings of the people. In the next few months, the situation will be improved largely, he added. Later, the industries minister joined a function arranged to unveil the plaque of a buffer godown for fertilizer, which is being constructed by Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation (BCIC) at Ghonapara in Gopalganj Sadar upazila. Addressing the function, he said the country has a demand for at least 25 lakh metric tons of urea fertilizer. But it needs to meet 60pc-70pc of this demand by importing urea from foreign countries. Majid said the imported fertilizers are supplied to the rural farmers through 25 buffer godowns of BADC, which are located in different districts. He said the Gopalganj fertilizer godown with the capacity of 10,000 metric tons is being implemented at the cost of some 34 crore. The physical progress of the warehouse is 40 percent. The minister directed the project authority to complete the project soon.

Trading Corporation of Bangladesh will directly procure some 125 lakh litres (12.5 million litre) of soybean oil and 5000 kilogram of lentil from 7 local suppliers without following any competitive process. Cabinet committee on government purchase (CCGB) in a meeting, with Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal in the chair, gave approval to the proposals in this regard. Commerce Ministry placed the proposals on behalf of the TCB, the state marketing agency. As per the proposals, some 40 lakh (4 million) litre of the edible will be procured from Super Oil Refinery at Tk 173.95 per liter while remaining 85 lakh (8.5 million) litre will be purchased from three suppliers at Tk 171 per liter. Of the three suppliers, Shun Shing Edible Oil Ltd, a subsidiary company of Bangladesh Edible Oil Limited (BEOL), will supply 20 lakh litre while Bashundhara Multi Food Products Limited (BMFPL), a subsidiary of Bashundhara Group, will supply 35 lakh litre and Sena Edible Oil Industry, a subsidiary of Sena Kalyan Sangstha Bangladesh, will provide 30,000 litre of soybean oil. The 40 lakh litre of the edible oil will cost Tk 69.58 crore while 85 lakh litre will cost Tk 145.35 crore. Some 5000 kg of lentil will be procured from three suppliers at cost of Tk 55.50 crore with each kg price at Tk 111. Of these, some 3000 kg will be purchased from ACI Limited, 1000 kg from Nadil Traders and 1000 from Roy Traders. Read: TCB to procure soyabean oil, lentil and sugar from business groups Abdul Barik, Additional secretary of the Cabinet, who briefed reporters about the outcomes of the Cabinet body meeting, said the TCB will procure the commodities through direct procurement method (DPM) showing the cause of emergency needs. The TCB, a subordinate body of the Commerce Ministry, will sell these goods to people at controlled rates as part of the government’s open market sale (OMS) programe, he added. The CCGP also approved another 13 proposals from different ministries. Of these, the state-owned Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation (BCIC) will procure some 120,000 metric tons of fertilizer from four international suppliers. Of these, 30,000 mt of bagged prilled urea fertilizer will be procured from Muntajat of Qatar at a cost Tk 152.50 crore, while another 30,000 mt bagged granular from Kafco at Tk 151.57 crore. Some 30,000 mt of bulk granular urea will be imported from SABIC Agri-nutrients Company of Saudi Arabia at Tk 151.88 crore and another 30,000 mt from the same Saudi company at Tk 149.08 crore. Each metric ton of urea from the four lots will cost between $443.35 and $524.50 which earlier cost between $588 and $557.87 per metric ton. This shows that the cost of urea fertilizer is decreasing in the global market which had crossed $1000 immediately after the Russia-Ukraine war began. Six separate proposals from the Chattagram Port Authority under the Ministry of Shipping received the nod of the committee to hire six berth operators at the port for next 5 years.