Urea getting damaged for lack of proper storage

Lack of accommodation at the godown compels authorities of Ashuganj Chemical Fertiliser Company Ltd to keep huge quantity of urea fertiliser under the open sky, making it vulnerable to damage by rain and sun. Photo: STAR

A large amount of urea fertiliser stored at Ashuganj Chemical Fertilizer Company Limited (ACFCL) is getting damaged due to lack of adequate facilities for storage and maintenance.
Washed by rainwater, a good amount of the fertiliser its finds way to nearby Meghna River.
Of 1,21,744 tonnes of urea stored at ACFCL as of yesterday, 82,740 tonnes in unpacked condition is kept at the 40,000-tonne capacity 'Bulk Station', 24,004 tonnes under the open sky on different corridors and roads of the factory while 15,000 tonnes of packed urea is kept at two godowns, ACFCL office sources said.
Since June last, two walls of the overloaded bulk station collapsed four times under heavy pressure, causing a large amount of urea fall into the adjacent drain and road. Much of it was damaged by rainwater.
The buyers and dealers have alleged that the packed fertiliser stored on different corridors and roads of the factory is gradually losing the quality as it absorbs humidity from the wet soil and air and gets direct heat from the sun.
Besides, the fertiliser bags stored under the open sky are not properly covered with tarpaulin, making them exposed to sudden rain during the monsoon, they said.
Of 1,235 tonnes of urea that is currently produced at the factory daily, 1000 tonnes are packed in the bags while the rest is being kept in the open spaces.
A good amount of it is washed away by rainwater.
During a visit to the factory yesterday, this correspondent saw unpacked fertiliser scattered at different spots of the factory.
Unpacked urea gets damaged every year during the 'dull season' but this year the damage is enormous due to wall collapse four times, said several labourers of the factory,.
About 10,000 tonnes of urea worth about Tk 10 crore have been damaged till now, said a factory staff on condition of anonymity.
When contacted, Md Osman Gani, the managing director of ACFCL, said, "Due to incidents of wall collapse following excessive rain, some fertiliser from the Bulk Station fell down on the road and drain and got wet but its quality did not decrease. If low quality is found in any urea, we instantly send it to the factory to refine them again."
Claiming that the fertiliser bags stored under the open sky were properly covered with tarpaulin, he said, "The storage of urea under the open sky would come down soon as the dealers of the factory have started withdrawing their allocated fertiliser for the coming peak season. They are taking about 1161 to 1688 tonnes of fertiliser daily."