Fertiliser demand drops in Narail

The demand for fertiliser has dropped in the district where farmers have switched over to cultivation of the crops that require minimal manure to grow. But this has frustrated hundreds of traders who have plenty of fartilisers in stock to sell. The new phenomenon in farming has been developed against the backdrop of losses in successive years for cultivation of Boro paddy, which needs application of expensive fertiliser to a great extent. Boro farmers have been incurring losses for some years as the production cost exceeded the market price of paddy. Consequently, they are switching over to growing other crops like lentil, mustard, winter vegetable, wheat and other low fertiliser consuming crops.
BCIC dealer Hafizar Rahman Mollik said, “We have to lift the predetermined quantity of fertiliser from the warehouse. But we cannot sell them fully.” Farmers are now reluctant to cultivate paddy as production cost is higher than its market price, he added.   
Sources at the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) said there is a huge stock of all kinds of fertiliser and there is no crisis in the district. Farmers are easily getting fertilisers at local markets. Besides, Narail district is surplus in production of paddy and wheat. So, the agriculture department is encouraging the farmers of the district to switch over to the cultivation of other winter and spring crops. That is why the demand for fertiliser is decreasing gradually, they said.  
Farmer Akmal Hossain of Dhopadah village in Lohagara upazila said last year, he cultivated paddy on four bighas of land. He had to spend a lot on fertiliser and irrigation. It is not profitable at all to sell paddy at Tk 650-700 per maund. This year, he cultivated winter vegetable on one bigha of land, he said.

Fertiliser demand drops in Narail

The demand for fertiliser has dropped in the district where farmers have switched over to cultivation of the crops that require minimal manure to grow. But this has frustrated hundreds of traders who have plenty of fartilisers in stock to sell. The new phenomenon in farming has been developed against the backdrop of losses in successive years for cultivation of Boro paddy, which needs application of expensive fertiliser to a great extent. Boro farmers have been incurring losses for some years as the production cost exceeded the market price of paddy. Consequently, they are switching over to growing other crops like lentil, mustard, winter vegetable, wheat and other low fertiliser consuming crops. BCIC dealer Hafizar Rahman Mollik said, We have to lift the predetermined quantity of fertiliser from the warehouse. But we cannot sell them fully. Farmers are now reluctant to cultivate paddy as production cost is higher than its market price, he added. Sources at the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) said there is a huge stock of all kinds of fertiliser and there is no crisis in the district. Farmers are easily getting fertilisers at local markets. Besides, Narail district is surplus in production of paddy and wheat. So, the agriculture department is encouraging the farmers of the district to switch over to the cultivation of other winter and spring crops. That is why the demand for fertiliser is decreasing gradually, they said. Farmer Akmal Hossain of Dhopadah village in Lohagara upazila said last year, he cultivated paddy on four bighas of land. He had to spend a lot on fertiliser and irrigation. It is not profitable at all to sell paddy at Tk 650-700 per maund. This year, he cultivated winter vegetable on one bigha of land, he said.