ZCZC
BSS-07
GHORASAL-POLASH-FERTILIZER
Construction of country’s biggest urea factory starts in August
DHAKA, July 25, 2019 (BSS) – Construction of Ghorashal-Polash Urea Fertilizer Factory will begin in the next month (August) as all preparations have already been taken to build the country’s largest urea factory, State Minister for Industries Kamal Ahmed Mojumder told BSS
“We have already taken an initiative to construct a single factory that will include the existing Ghorashal Urea Fertilizer Factory and Polash Urea Fertilizer Factory. We will construct the factory by taking technical supports from Japan,” he said in an exclusive interview here.
Kamal Mojumder informed that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is likely to formally open the construction of the new factory next month.
“The production in the new factory will be about 10 times higher than the combined output of the existing two fertilizer factories. The project will be implemented using the world class environment-friendly green technology and by maintaining the highest standards of operation,” he said.
He said Industries Ministry is providing all sorts of efforts to fulfill the demand by increasing the production of local factories.
Earlier, the government signed an agreement with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Limited and China National Chemical Engineering No-7 Construction Company Limited to construct the Ghorashal-Polash Urea Fertilizer Factory in Narsingdi district.
Talking to BSS, Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation (BCIC) Chairman Md Haiul Quaium said the main objective of the project is setting up a new granular urea fertilizer factory at Polash adjacent to the existing Ghorashal Urea Fertilizer Factory Ltd and Polash Urea Fertilizer Factory Ltd under Narsingdi district with a daily production capacity of 2,800 metric tons and annual production capacity of 9,24,000 metric tons.
Besides, he said, the new urea fertilizer factory will also aim at meeting the growing demand of fertilizer to ensure food security in the country side by side ensuring smooth supply of fertilizer to the farmers at an affordable cost.
“The countrywide annual demand of urea fertilizer is in between 26 and 27 lakh metric tons whereas the six fertilizer factories under the BCIC could produce roughly 9-10 lakh metric tons. So, the rest of the deficit (17-20 lakh metric tons) of urea fertilizer is being imported,” he added.
He hoped that once the project is implemented, it will help save foreign currencies through reducing import of fertilizers alongside generating more employment opportunities in the country.
Apart from these, he informed, most of the machineries of the Ghorashal Urea Fertilizer Factory Limited and Polash Urea Fertilizer Factory Limited have become dilapidated. He said BCIC has already completed the preliminary works, including construction of roads, for running the construction works smoothly.
He informed that the project is being implemented at a cost of Taka 10,460.91 crore. The new fertilizer factory will dwarf the current biggest in Bangladesh, the Shahjalal Fertilizer Factory in Fenchuganj of Sylhet, which has a production capacity of 5.81 metric tons.
BSS/SPL/KUC/GA/1620 hrs