Industries Minister Nurul Majid Mahmud Humayun on Saturday said that Bangladesh’s fertilizer import has reduced significantly after the newly built Ghorashal-Palash Urea Fertiliser Factory (GPUFP) starts production, and it contributed to saving foreign exchange and reducing crisis of fertilizers.
"More than 30,000 new employment has been generated in the new factory which is also contributing positively to the country’s agricultural production, agricultural economy and trade", Minister added.
The minister said this while briefing journalists at the VIP guest house of the factory after visiting the Ghorashal-Palash Urea Fertiliser Factory.
He further said at present the production rate of urea fertiliser is 100% at the newly constructed Ghorashal-Palash Urea Fertiliser Factory (GPUFP) as per the current capacity.
The minister mentioned that two more fertiliser factories will be established in Bhola and Ashuganj with the aim to further increasing the production of fertilisers in Bangladesh. A memorandum of understanding (MoU) has already been signed to set up a di-ammonium phosphate (DAP) fertiliser plant in Saudi Arabia. In fact, the current government is making maximum efforts to increase fertiliser production.
The minister added, ‘if we manage our fertiliser factories properly and at maximum production capacity, then we will never have to import fertiliser in future. If necessary we can send or export the fertiliser outside the country.’
It's to mention that on November 12, 2023, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the fertiliser factory at Palash in Narsingdi.
GPUFP is the largest factory in Southeast Asia. Built on 110 acres of land at a cost of Tk 15,500 crore, the factory has a daily fertiliser production capacity of 2,800 metric tonnes and an annual capacity of 9,24,000 metric tonnes.
Anwarul Ashraf Khan Dilip, Member of Parliament (MP) Narsingdi-2, Masuda Siddique Rozi, Member of Parliament for reserved women’s seat, Zakia Sultana, Senior Secretary of the Ministry of Industry, Md. Saidur Rahman, Chairman of BCIC, Shamimul Haque, Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Industry, Md. Saidur Rahman, Director of Ghorashal-Palash Urea Fertiliser Project, Hirotesi Suzuki, Project Director of MHI and Yuichi Saima, Project Manager were also present during the visit.
