The government has taken a plan to set up three new fertiliser factories in the country to increase domestic fertiliser production capacity.

Under the plan, initiatives have been taken to establish a urea fertiliser factory in Bhola with a daily production capacity of 1,700 metric tonnes, a triple superphosphate (TSP) fertiliser factory in Chattogram with an annual production capacity of 400,000 metric tonnes and a urea formaldehyde-85 (UF-85) factory in Palash of Narsingdi with an annual production capacity of 24,000 metric tonnes.

Concerned officials of the Ministry of Industries said the Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation (BCIC) will implement the plan which is expected to increase domestic fertiliser production capacity, reduce import dependency, strengthen supply to the agriculture sector and create new employment opportunities in the industrial sector.

The BCIC has set a target of raising fertiliser production to 2.7 million metric tonnes within the next three to five years.

According to the corporation, it operates a total of seven fertiliser factories, including five urea and two non-urea factories.

In the 2025-26 fiscal year, the country's demand for urea fertiliser stood at 2.6 million metric tonnes.

In the same fiscal year, the country's demand for TSP and diammonium phosphate (DAP) fertilisers stood at 750,000 metric tonnes and 1.485 million metric tonnes respectively.

In contrast, BCIC factories produced 68,259 metric tonnes of TSP and 82,142 metric tonnes of DAP fertilisers, meeting 9.10 percent and 5.53 percent of the respective total demands. As a result, most of the country's demand is being met through imports.

BCIC officials said the government provides subsidies of Tk 23,000 per metric tonne of urea fertiliser, Tk 49,170 per metric tonne of TSP and Tk 98,840 per metric tonne of DAP.

Considering these issues, the government has decided to establish three new fertiliser factories.

At the same time, emphasis is being placed on increasing the production capacity and modernising existing factories.

Plan to produce 1,700 tonnes of urea daily in Bhola
The government has planned to establish a new urea fertiliser factory in Bhola to increase domestic production and meet the country's demand for urea fertiliser.

The proposed factory is expected to produce 1,700 metric tonnes of urea daily.

According to BCIC, the factory will require 45 to 50 million cubic feet of gas per day to maintain production after it becomes operational.

Therefore, ensuring an adequate gas supply will be crucial to implementing the project.

Once established, the factory will increase the country's urea production capacity and create an opportunity to enhance the contribution of domestic production to meeting farmers' fertiliser requirements.

Speaking to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS), BCIC Chairman Md Babul Mia said, "Increasing domestic production capacity is essential to meeting the country's demand for urea fertiliser."

"Construction of the proposed urea fertiliser factory in Bhola, if implemented, will play an important role in increasing production capacity," he said.

"However, ensuring adequate gas supply, technical preparedness, financing and necessary approvals is important for implementing such a project," he added.

Initiative to produce 400,000 tonnes of TSP annually in Chattogram
To increase domestic production of phosphate fertilisers, a plan has been taken to establish a new TSP fertiliser factory with an annual production capacity of 400,000 metric tonnes on unused land at the TSPCL Complex in North Patenga, Chattogram.

At present, production at BCIC's TSP Complex is being disrupted due to shortages of raw materials and problems with the plant.

In this situation, the establishment of a new factory will create an opportunity to significantly increase TSP fertiliser production capacity.

BCIC Chairman Md. Babul Mia told BSS, "A plan has been taken to establish a new factory to increase domestic production of TSP fertiliser."

"Necessary preparations are being advanced after reviewing the technical and economic aspects of the project," he said.

"If implemented, the project will increase TSP production capacity and create an opportunity to enhance the contribution of domestic production to the country's fertiliser supply," he added.

Plan to establish UF-85 factory in Palash
A plan has been taken to establish a urea formaldehyde-85 (UF-85) factory with an annual production capacity of 24,000 metric tonnes on unused land at the Ghorashal-Polash Fertilizer PLC in Palash, Narsingdi.

Implementation of the project will create an opportunity to utilise existing industrial infrastructure and unused land. It also has the potential to increase the production capacity of the relevant industrial product.

In this regard, BCIC Chairman Md Babul Mia said, "There are opportunities to establish new industries by utilising unused land at existing industrial establishments."

"In the case of the proposed UF-85 factory in Palash, further activities need to be taken forward considering production technology, market demand and economic feasibility," he added.

"If implemented, the project will create an opportunity to increase production capacity in the relevant industrial sector," he said.

Potential for new employment opportunities
Implementation of the initiative to establish the three new factories could create employment opportunities during the construction phase and at various stages after production begins.

Besides engineers, technologists, skilled workers and management personnel, there is also potential for indirect employment in transportation, supply, maintenance and related service sectors.

Implementation of the proposed projects in Bhola, Chattogram and Narsingdi could increase the utilisation of existing industrial infrastructure in the respective areas and create opportunities to expand local economic activities.

Speaking to BSS, BCIC Chairman Md Babul Mia said, "The establishment of new factories could create employment opportunities at various stages, from construction to production and maintenance."

"However, the number of people who will be employed can be determined only after finalising the project design, production technology and manpower structure," he said.

"We want to give importance not only to increasing production capacity but also to developing skilled manpower in the industrial sector," he added.