Only 16,000 MT urea in stock at Zia fertiliser factory

The stock of urea fertiliser at Zia fertilizer factory came down to 16,000 tonnes yesterday as production is stopped since February 10, factory sources said.
Of these, 10,000 tonnes are in bags and 6,000 tonnes are being packeted, managing director of the factory Md. Osman Goni told this correspondent last night.
In the current month, the factory is to supply 68,000 tonnes of urea in seven districts under its command area --- Brahmanbaria, Kishurganj, Chandpur, Comilla, Netrakuna, Habiganj and Sunamganj.
The factory authorities are supplying 1,100 to 1,200 tonnes of urea to dealers daily, which is too inadequate to the demand. If the present supply is maintained, the stock will exhaust if production can not be resumed.
During first ten days of the month, supply through dealers was 23,000 tonnes.
Due to shortage of fertilizer, the factory authorities are now rationing distribution to dealers, sources there said.
If the factory does not resume production within a week, dealers will not get fertiliser and Irri-Boro cultivation will suffer.
In the face of demand, the factory authorities have requested Chittaging Urea Fertilizer Factory (CUFF) to supply 12,000 tonnes of urea to dealers of Chandpur, Comilla and Netrakuna, who are under the command area of Zia fertiliser factory, sources said.
In last 25 days, the factory stopped production for 16 days in two phases and it is still out of order.
It remained silent for eight days from January 22 to January 30 as the compressor vessel of ammonia plant exploded with a big bang.
Then, after ten days, it again fell silent on February 10 as its 'reformer tubes' became overheated and went out order.
It will take four to five days more for local engineers to resume production, the source said. Production disruption in ZFF is usual.
The MD however said there will not be any crisis of urea under its command area. The factory will go into production by February 18, he hoped.
The MD said engineers are working round the clock to repair the faults and resume production.
“CUFF will supply 12,000 tonnes of urea to some of our dealers”, he said.