The New Nation - Internet Edition

Shamim Jahangir

The Government is encouraging farmers to use organic or alternative fertiliser instead of Urea, TSP and MOP on their land, as the price of bio-fertiliser have increased considerably in the international market, according to agriculture ministry sources.

The authority has taken the decision at a time when farmers are facing shortage of TSP and MOP fertiliser in the Aman cultivation season.

The market price of urea is $799 dollar per tonne. It was $600 dollar last year. TSP is selling $1,065 dollar. It sold at $600 dollar. MOP is selling at $900 dollar in the international market. It was $450 dollar last year, according to sources.

As part of the Government initiative, the Department of Agriculture Extension conducted several projects styled 'Expansion of Urea Deep Placement Technology (Guti urea),' 'Quick Compost project,' 'Deep Colour Chat (DCC) project' and 'Green Manure project' to reduce use of bio-fertiliser on agricultural land in the country.

DEA has encouraged farmers in 80 upazila including Feni, Noakhali, Lakshmipur, Comilla and Laksam to use Guti urea in the Aman season this year. It has covered 1.5 lakh hectares out of 58.20 lakh hectares of Aman land across the country this year, sources said.

"The guti urea will save some 30 to 40 per cent traditional urea in the 80 upazila during the Aman season," Md Abdul Muyeed, project director of expansion of Guti urea told the New Nation yesterday.

He said that the Government has saved Tk 324.60 crore by using Guti urea on 1.51 hectares of Boro field last fiscal.

"We were able to get one tonne of additional paddy from per hectare of land by using Guti urea last year," he also said.

The DAE also trained the North Bengal farmers to adopt the 'Deep Colour Chat,' which would be able to save huge amount of fertiliser, sources said.

"We have encouraged farmers to use compost, green manure technology on their lands," Abdul Mazid Biswas, Director of the DAE told the New Nation yesterday.

He said that the department has already directed its 1,266 block supervisors to produce 12,660 tonnes of quick compost per year.

"It would reduce the pressure on TSP and MOP," he said adding, "Long term productivity of land was also ensured by using compost, green manure technology instead of bio-chemical fertiliser."

The Government has also taken steps to produce compost through the food for work programme, sources said.

The Government has fixed the distribution target of fertiliser at 42.90 lakh tonnes. Of the projected distribution of fertiliser, 28.50 lakh tonnes are Urea, 5 lakh tonnes of TSP, 4 lakh tonnes of MOP, 2 lakh tonnes of DAP, 1 lakh tonnes of SSP, 1.50 lakh tonnes of NPKS, 1.50 lakh tonnes of Gypsum, 50,000 tonnes of Zinc Sulphur, 20,000 tonnes of Ammonium Sulphur and 20,000 tonnes of Magnesium Sulphur.