Agriculture Secretary Dr Mohammad Emdad Ullah Mian on Thursday dismissed concerns of a fertiliser shortage, saying the country has sufficient stock until December.
“There will be no crisis this season,” he said while inspecting crop fields and irrigation activities in Rajshahi and Chapainawabganj districts.
He said crop yields, including wheat, potato, pulses, mustard and vegetables, could rise by 15 to 40% if farmers used fertiliser judiciously. To support this, the ministry has introduced the “Khamari App”, which provides farmers with information on crop type, fertiliser requirement and seed quantity for specific plots, reports BSS.
According to the secretary, the app could help paddy farmers save around Tk1,000 per bigha in fertiliser costs and increase yields by about 40 kg per bigha. He reviewed implementation of the guidelines on 206 bighas in Godagari’s Laldighi area and exchanged views with farmers.
Highlighting progress in the Barind region, Dr Emdad said support from the Barind Multipurpose Development Authority (BMDA) had enabled farmers to produce three crops annually, compared to just one crop in the past.
He stressed the need to promote less water-intensive cereal crops over heavy-irrigation dependent irri-boro farming to address the region’s water crisis. He also called for greater use of surface water irrigation, citing the untapped potential of natural water bodies in the drought-prone Barind area.
BMDA Executive Director Tariqul Alam, Department of Agricultural Extension Director General Saiful Alam and senior engineers of BMDA accompanied the agriculture secretary during the visit.
BMDA initiatives have so far covered 135 upazilas in 16 districts under Rajshahi and Rangpur divisions, contributing to agricultural growth, water resource management and socio-economic development, officials said.