Farmers in several districts have reported an artificial fertiliser shortage during the Aman rice season, despite government assurances that supplies remain adequate. At field level, growers tell a different story. They are struggling to secure the fertiliser they need, while some are paying more than the government-set price.
The agriculture ministry’s own data show that stocks of all four major fertilisers — urea, triple super phosphate (TSP), di-ammonium phosphate (DAP) and muriate of potash (MOP) — have fallen below designated safe levels. Ministry officials, however, say supplies remain under control. Imports are arriving regularly, allocations and distribution are continuing across regions, and more fertiliser-laden vessels are on the way. They therefore see no immediate risk of a major crisis.
Agricultural analysts attribute the strain on fertiliser supplies to higher Aman-season demand, uncertainty in international markets and imports, and constraints on domestic production. Without long-term planning and adequate buffer stocks, they warn, the situation could worsen.
The ministry’s stock data as of August 24 show urea inventories at 482,200 tonnes, below the minimum safe stock of 500,000 tonnes for Bangladesh’s most widely used fertiliser. That leaves a shortfall of about 17,800 tonnes.
TSP stocks are also below the safe level, at 369,000 tonnes against a requirement of 400,000 tonnes — a gap of about 30,700 tonnes.
The largest shortfalls are in DAP and MOP fertilisers. DAP stocks stood at 368,100 tonnes on August 24, against a safe-stock threshold of 500,000 tonnes. The Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC) wrote to the agriculture ministry in July urging it to increase DAP imports from Morocco. It said two additional consignments would be needed over the next four months, on top of two already scheduled, to maintain normal supplies through the coming winter and Boro seasons.
MOP stocks are even tighter. Inventories stood at 146,000 tonnes on August 24, less than half the 300,000 tonnes considered a safe level.
The ministry’s figures put combined stocks of urea and non-urea fertilisers at 1,365,600 tonnes, against an overall safe-stock requirement of 1.7 million tonnes. That leaves a shortfall of about 334,000 tonnes.
Demand for urea, DAP, MOP and TSP is expected to exceed 400,000 tonnes in September, while 443,000 tonnes have been allocated. Officials say meeting that demand will depend on existing stocks, fresh imports and effective distribution at field level.
Urea is Bangladesh’s most widely used fertiliser, followed by DAP. Annual demand in the 2026–27 fiscal year is projected at 2,622,000 tonnes for urea and 1,355,700 tonnes for DAP. Demand for MOP and TSP is forecast at 970,000 tonnes and 901,500 tonnes, respectively. Meeting those requirements means the government must move and distribute vast quantities of fertiliser to sustain agricultural output.
The Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation (BCIC) oversees urea supply, production and imports through seven factories: five produce urea, while one each produces DAP and TSP.
The DAP and TSP plants have been idle for some time amid raw material shortages. Only two of the five urea plants are currently in production. Gas supplies resumed to the Chittagong Urea Fertilizer factory on Monday after a five-and-a-half-month shutdown, clearing the way for its return to production.
Md Moniruzzaman, BCIC’s director of commercial, production and research, told Bonik Barta: “Gas supplies to the Chittagong urea factory began yesterday (Tuesday). The Ghorashal-Palash and Shahjalal fertiliser factories were already operating, along with the multinational KAFCO (Karnaphuli Fertilizer Company Limited).”
He said there was no cause for concern over urea stocks.
“It’s a continuous chain, with fertiliser produced and imported at one end and distributed to farmers at the other. The stock figure alone doesn’t show the full picture because urea is being produced every day,” Moniruzzaman said.
BADC handles imports and distribution of DAP, MOP and TSP. Its import and inventory report showed stocks of 337,000 tonnes of TSP, 327,000 tonnes of DAP and 148,000 tonnes of MOP as of August 20. The corporation said imports were continuing.
Two TSP vessels are en route to Bangladesh, due to arrive on September 8 and 11 with a combined 60,000 tonnes, according to the corporation. Another 60,000 tonnes is expected on October 5 and 6, while import procedures are underway for a further 90,000 tonnes in three consignments.
A 35,000-tonne consignment of MOP from Russia is due on September 4, the corporation said. Two more consignments are expected on September 15 and 20. One additional consignment is being loaded onto a vessel, while import procedures for another are underway.
Proposals have also been submitted to the Cabinet Committee on Government Purchase to import 60,000 tonnes of TSP from Morocco, 120,000 tonnes of DAP from Morocco and Saudi Arabia, and 115,000 tonnes of MOP from Russia and Canada.
At field level, however, distribution weaknesses are adding to the strain. Farmers in several districts have reported shortages and said they are being forced to pay more than official prices. In Kurigram, a dealer’s warehouse was broken into and about 200 sacks of fertiliser were stolen. The government has also formed a committee to investigate the reported artificial shortage.
“Fertiliser is available to meet demand, and in fact, stocks exceed demand,” Agriculture Secretary Md Selim Khan told Bonik Barta.
He added: “Stocks are much higher now than at the same time last year. At this point last fiscal year, total non-urea stocks (TSP, DAP and MOP) stood at 785,403 tonnes. This time, they are 883,477 tonnes, nearly 100,000 tonnes more.”
Responding to farmers’ complaints that they were unable to secure fertiliser, Khan said: “The incidents being reported in different places vary from one area to another. The key point is that a conspiracy is underway to put the government in a difficult position. We won’t allow it to succeed. Most importantly, we can say with certainty that there’s no fertiliser shortage.”
Agricultural economists say demand peaks from November to February, when winter vegetables, potatoes, onions and maize occupy much of the country’s farmland. Boro rice, the largest source of food grains, is also grown during the period. They argue that the government must prepare for the peak season by increasing fertiliser stocks and domestic production, or risk a shortage.
Professor AHM Saiful Islam of the Department of Agricultural Economics at Bangladesh Agricultural University told Bonik Barta: “To ensure farmers get fertiliser when they need it, the government must keep supply chains intact. That means importing fertiliser on time from alternative sources and avoiding disruptions linked to instability in the Middle East. If farmers don’t get fertiliser when they need it during the peak season, production will be disrupted and the country’s food chain could suffer a major setback.”