DAP Fertiliser Company exceeds annual production target

The state-owned DAP Fertiliser Company Ltd has exceeded its production target of 60,000 tonnes for the 2019-20 fiscal year two months ahead of schedule.

Located in the Rangadia area of Chatogram, the company is the only facility that produces Di-ammonium phosphate (DAP) fertiliser in Bangladesh. However, its production target is still not enough to meet the country's annual demand of around 9 lakh tonnes.

According to officials of the industries ministry, the company produced 64,076 tonnes of DAP fertiliser till May 4, against a target of 60,000 tonnes in the current fiscal year. The officials expect the factory's production to exceed 75,000 tonnes at the end of this fiscal year.

Responding to queries, the factory's Managing Director Abdur Rahim said, "The factory achieved its fiscal production target 70 days ahead of time. Production continues in full swing. Our production will make a significant contribution in meeting the country's demand."

DAP is a very necessary fertiliser for agricultural production, and is highly effective for growing a wide variety of crops.

Currently, Bangladesh has an annual demand of around 9 lakh tonnes of DAP fertiliser, and most of it is imported by the Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC), which is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Agriculture.

The fertiliser is imported under state management, and the government sets its price. The fertiliser currently costs Tk14,000 per tonne in the country. It contains 18 percent Nitrogen (in ammonia form) and 46 percent phosphate.

Since DAP fertiliser contains the same level of phosphate as Triple Super Phosphate (TSP) fertiliser, using it saves time and money by providing farmers with the benefits of both fertilisers.

Sources from the industries ministry said the DAP Fertiliser Company had a production target of 40,000 tonnes in the 2016-17 fiscal year, and 50,000 tonnes in the 2017-18 fiscal year. The factory managed to reach its production target in both those years.

However, in the 2018-19 fiscal year the factory suffered a mechanical issue in the process dryer. It produced 24,000 tonnes of DAP fertiliser against a target of 35,000 tonnes that year.