Agriculture Minister Mohammad Amin ur Rashid said Bangladesh has no fertilizer shortage and holds stocks exceeding demand. Speaking to journalists at the Agriculture Ministry conference room in the Secretariat on Tuesday, he said fertilizer reserves are higher than last year. He described claims of an artificial fertilizer shortage and resulting public confusion as part of a planned conspiracy.

The minister called the ministry’s work and progress during the government’s first 180 days satisfactory. He said higher agricultural production, expanded storage facilities and greater technology use could gradually reduce reliance on imported farm products. A database of about 1.4 million farmers has been prepared in a pilot phase, while farmer cards are to be distributed to 350,000 to 400,000 farmers each month.

Over the past six months, more than 2.418 million saplings were planted against a target of 2.5 million, and 475.61 kilometres of canals were excavated against a 478.9-kilometre target. The minister said no onion imports have been needed so far this year, with plans for infrastructure to store 300,000 tonnes. He also cited plans for BRRI 118 rice cultivation next year and solar-powered irrigation pumps.