The cabinet committee on government purchase has recommended approval of a string of fertiliser import proposals covering both state and private channels. The proposals were cleared on Wednesday, 16 September, at the Secretariat at a meeting chaired by Finance Minister Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury. Together the purchases will cost Tk 9,800 crore.

The package covers 35,000 metric tonnes of muriate of potash (MOP) from Russia, 40,000 metric tonnes of DAP from Morocco and, through private importers from various countries, 500,000 metric tonnes of DAP, 220,000 metric tonnes of MOP and 200,000 metric tonnes of TSP.

Under the state-level contract, the sixth lot of 2026-27 — 35,000 tonnes of MOP from Russia's JSC Foreign Economic Corporation (Prodintorg) — will cost Tk 166 crore 9 lakh 90 thousand 450, or $383.80 per tonne, paid from the agricultural subsidy budget. The contract with Russia was renewed on 24 May. BADC's MOP import target for the year is 716,000 tonnes, of which 595,000 tonnes are to come from Russia; 175,000 tonnes have arrived from there so far.

Under the government-to-government contract between Morocco's OCP Nutricrops SA and BADC, an optional third lot of 40,000 tonnes of DAP was approved at $885 per tonne, a total of Tk 437 crore 36 lakh 70 thousand. An optional fourth lot of a further 40,000 tonnes at the same price and value was also recommended.

On the private side, 20 firms are proposed to bring in 500,000 tonnes of DAP at $938 per tonne, a total of $469 million, from Morocco, Russia, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Tunisia, in parcels of 10,000 to 80,000 tonnes per firm. The listed firms include NRK Holding, Desh Trading Corporation, Bulk Trade International, Mugdho Traders and M/s Akon Enterprise.

Fourteen firms will import 220,000 tonnes of MOP from Russia, Canada and Belarus at $398.97 per tonne, a total of $87,773,400, in parcels of 6,000 to 30,000 tonnes. Ten firms will bring 200,000 tonnes of TSP from Lebanon, Bulgaria, Morocco, Egypt and Tunisia at $756 per tonne, a total of $151.2 million, in parcels of 10,000 to 30,000 tonnes.

Demand for phosphate and potash fertiliser climbs ahead of the rabi season and potato planting; an import programme of close to a million tonnes is what the supply for those months rests on.

Source: banglanews24