No basis for claims of fertiliser shortage: state minister

Government Says Fertiliser Supply Remains Secure Despite Factory Constraints

Thebangladaily.com – Bangladesh has sufficient fertiliser stocks and ongoing supply arrangements to support farmers through the coming cultivation periods, State Minister for Commerce Shariful Islam told Parliament on Wednesday, rejecting concerns that the country faces a serious shortage.

Speaking in response to a public-importance notice submitted under Rule 68 on behalf of the Ministry of Industries, he said there was no evidence that fertiliser availability would interrupt agricultural work or create a wider risk to food production. The government, he said, has continued to combine domestic manufacturing, imports and stock management to keep supplies moving to farming areas.

Stocks, production and imports

Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation, widely known as BCIC, handles the main chain of fertiliser operations: production, imports, transport, storage and delivery through authorised dealers. Distribution is carried out in line with demand identified by the Ministry of Agriculture.

During the 2026-27 fiscal year so far, the country has produced 208,799 metric tonnes of urea and imported another 117,899 metric tonnes, Shariful said. Nationwide distribution has reached 530,925 metric tonnes, while reserves stand at 409,000 metric tonnes.

Those figures are central to the government’s argument that farmers should not be alarmed by claims of an immediate supply crisis. Fertiliser is a major input for crop cultivation, and availability at the appropriate time can be as important as the total volume held in national stores. The minister said production and import activity would continue so that demand can be met during both the peak and mini-peak farming seasons.

Targets have been set for 88,000 metric tonnes of urea production in September and 113,000 metric tonnes in October. Maintaining that schedule, alongside imports and existing reserves, is intended to support distribution as farming demand rises.

Mixed picture at fertiliser plants

BCIC operates seven fertiliser factories. Five of them manufacture urea, while one is assigned to triple superphosphate, or TSP, and another produces diammonium phosphate, known as DAP.

Not every plant is currently operating at the same level. Ghorashal-Polash Fertiliser and Shahjalal Fertiliser Company in Sylhet are producing normally, the state minister said. Chittagong Urea Fertiliser Ltd is also moving toward a return to operation after receiving gas supplies and is expected to restart full production soon.

At the same time, production remains halted at Jamuna Fertiliser, Fertiliser and Chemical Company, as well as at the TSP and DAP plants. The disruptions are linked to shortages of raw materials and gas supplies. These operational difficulties underline why imports and stock reserves remain important parts of the national fertiliser plan, particularly when domestic production capacity is uneven.

For the previous 2025-26 fiscal year, Bangladesh produced more than 1.161 million metric tonnes of urea, 68,000 metric tonnes of TSP and 82,000 metric tonnes of DAP. It also brought in 1.407 million metric tonnes of urea from abroad and distributed more than 2.595 million metric tonnes across the country.

Shariful said the combined production, import and distribution record did not support fears of a looming shortage. He urged people not to spread anxiety among farmers, whose planting and purchasing decisions can be affected by uncertainty over essential agricultural inputs.

Distribution oversight and dealer changes

The government is also addressing concerns around how fertiliser reaches farmers. Shariful said legal steps have begun to cancel the dealerships of certain dealers appointed during the previous 17-year government. A circular has already been issued for the appointment of new fertiliser dealers.

The planned changes come alongside nationwide monitoring aimed at stopping illegal hoarding and cross-border smuggling. Authorities have taken measures that include confiscating fertiliser, sealing warehouses and making arrests, he said.

Such enforcement is significant because supplies held outside the formal distribution system can make fertiliser harder for farmers to obtain when they need it. Even where national stocks are adequate, local disruptions can occur if products are unlawfully stored, diverted or moved away from authorised sales channels.

The minister said attempts to move fertiliser across the border point to a price difference between Bangladesh and neighbouring countries, with fertiliser priced lower in Bangladesh. The government is working to improve distribution management while strengthening support for the agricultural sector, he added.

Focus on continuity for farmers

The government’s position is that the immediate challenge is not a national collapse in fertiliser availability, but the need to keep production, imports, storage and local delivery functioning together. With some factories operating normally, another expected to return to full output and stocks already held in reserve, officials say preparations are in place for the next farming cycles.

For farmers, the practical issue will remain access to fertiliser through authorised dealers at the time crops require it. The government has pledged to continue monitoring supply channels and act against illegal stockpiling or smuggling as it seeks to ensure that national fertiliser resources reach agricultural communities without disruption.