Fertiliser imports will be increased this year to raise farm output and make sure farmers get what they need, Mohammad Amin Ur Rashid, Minister of Agriculture and of Fisheries and Livestock, said on 4 November. He was speaking at a stakeholder meeting on fertiliser, seed, irrigation, fisheries and livestock management in the Rajshahi divisional commissioner's conference room, the Agriculture Information Service (AIS) reports.
The country now holds about 35 percent more fertiliser than at the same time last year, the minister said; there is no shortage and none is expected. The government will supply as much fertiliser as production needs and is watchful that farmers never face a crisis.
He gave dealers several instructions. They must lift their allocations on time; a dealer who fails to do so is to be marked as a defaulter; and dealerships may not be rented out or transferred. In the season, shops must open by 9 am and must not close before 5 to 6 pm. He told the administration and law enforcers to keep a close watch against fertiliser smuggling and said legal action would follow any proven irregularity.
If new crops and expanding farming raise demand, the government will provide the fertiliser needed, the minister said. But he told field officers to step up training and advice so that farmers use fertiliser in balanced, measured amounts with soil fertility and production costs in mind, and asked fisheries officers to advise on fertiliser use in fish farming.
He also directed officials to expand ginger, tomato and green chilli cultivation in Rajshahi district, saying the country must become self-sufficient in these crops from local production.
Acting divisional commissioner Md Rezaul Alam Sarkar chaired the meeting, and Rajshahi-6 MP Abu Sayeed Chand spoke. Deputy commissioners and deputy directors of the Department of Agricultural Extension from every district in the division took part.
Photo: Press Information Department / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)
Source: AIS
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