Staff Reporter:
The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Undertakings yesterday asked authorities concerned to scrap licenses of unscrupulous fertilizer dealers found to be involved in creating artificial crisis.
The committee recommended a review of possible measures to cancel licenses of dealers involved in cre-ating artificial fertilizer crisis,” said a parliamentary secretariat statement, issued after a meeting chaired by its chairman and Chief Whip Nurul Islam Moni.
It said the committee simultaneously asked authorities concerned to introduce a digital real-time moni-toring system to ensure an uninterrupted supply of the delicate agriculture input.
The committee also held detailed discussions on various issues relating to the production, storage and distribution of chemical fertilizers by Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation (BCIC) and BADC.
The committee is entrusted with the task of scrutinizing reports, accounts, and overall financial perfor-mance of public sector undertakings and government-owned corporations to ensure accountability and efficiency.
In its meeting yesterday, the committee sought intensified government steps for higher seed production in line with Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s directives to ensure food security.
According to the statement the committee asked Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC) to present its plans for increased food production considering the population growth during the JS body’s next meeting.
The meeting also discussed and reviewed performance BCIC and its affiliated companies alongside the activities of BADC.
BCIC officials informed the meeting that gas shortage forced their Jamuna Fertilizer Factory to produce fertilizer for only three days over the past two years while production at the Ashuganj Fertilizer Factory also remained suspended for the past 19 months.
The committee, however, asked authorities concerned to take necessary measures to increase domestic fertilizer production and reduce dependence on imports to address the shortages and to save costs.
The committee asked the ministry’s future plans regarding the pay-off fertilizer factories, as well as its plans to reopen the closed ones alongside increasing the production capacity by modernizing the older fertilizer factories.
Committee members Whip Miah Nuruddin Ahmed Apu, Whip Md Akhtaruzzaman Mia and lawmakers Tahsina Rushdi, Khondaker Abu Ashfaq, Mohammad Kaiser Ahmed, Md Mostafizur Rahman Bhuiyan and Mohammad Nazibur Rahman attended the meeting.
The Secretary of industries ministry, additional secretary, officials from the relevant ministries and divi-sions along with ones from BCIC, BADC and their affiliated organizations and the parliament secretariat were present.
