Dhaka, Sept 27, 2025 : Agriculture and Home Affairs Adviser Lt Gen (Retd) Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury has assured that Bangladesh faces no fertiliser shortage and prices will not rise under any circumstances.
Speaking at a press conference at the Agriculture Ministry on Thursday, he said arrears in fertiliser payments left by the previous government have been cleared, imports are aligned with demand, and syndicates controlling imports dismantled. He stressed that even if gas prices increase, fertiliser prices will remain unchanged: “At least as long as I am here, fertiliser prices will not increase.”
Imports will now follow global market rates, while officials have been instructed to curb fertiliser smuggling. Jahangir outlined priorities including food security, modernisation through technology, farmer welfare, and farmland protection. A draft Agricultural Land Protection Ordinance is being prepared to bar construction on double- and triple-crop land.
The adviser highlighted progress in output: in FY2024-25, rice reached 41.91 million tonnes (Aman: 16.51m, Aus: 2.79m, Boro: 22.60m), alongside 11.57m tonnes of potatoes, 1.04m tonnes of wheat, 7.39m tonnes of maize, 4.44m tonnes of onions, and 0.79m tonnes of garlic. Over Tk893.20 crore in incentives—fertiliser, seeds, saplings—benefited 8.85m small and marginal farmers.
Fertiliser arrears of Tk20,691 crore have been paid, while breaking syndicates saved Tk233.61 crore. The Integrated Fertiliser Dealer Policy (2009) is being updated, unused jute warehouses repurposed, and 30,000 tonnes of free fertiliser received from Russia. The International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation is extending a $200m loan to BADC, with $100m signed.
The government is boosting organic fertiliser use, amending pesticide rules, and implementing nine new projects worth Tk2,646.11 crore. Cold storage expansion includes 100 mini facilities and onion-potato reserves. A minimum potato price of Tk22 at cold storage gates has been set, with 50,000 tonnes to be bought directly from farmers.
Agricultural exports grew 10% during his tenure, with mangoes shipped to China for the first time and 62,051 tonnes of potatoes exported. A new treatment plant is being built in Gabtoli. GAP protocols for 15 crops, including mango, jackfruit, guava, potato, and pineapple, have been approved. Raw cotton was officially declared an agricultural product in June 2025.
