The trial production at South Asia’s largest Ghorasal Polash Urea Fertilizer Factory has been launched. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is scheduled to inaugurate this factory in the current month.

After starting formal production of the factory which has been built with a cost of Tk 15,500 crore, 924,000 metric tonnes of urea fertilizer will be produced every year. It will also save Tk 7,600 crore in import costs for fertilizer purposes annually. Around 30,000 people will get the employment opportunities at the factory.

A team led by Industries Minister Nurul Majid Mahmud Humayun has recently visited the project area. During the visit, the minister said, “We have inaugurated the trial production of this environment-friendly fertilizer factory. Now Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will formally open it. She might inaugurate the factory at her available time by this month (October).”  

According to the GPFPLC authority, after opening, the daily production capacity of the factory will be 2,800 metric tonnes of urea fertilizer. It will have an annual capacity of 924,000 metric tonnes of urea which is 36 per cent of the annual demand.

Agriculture ministry sources said the government has fixed the demand of 68 lakh 42 thousand 500 tonnes of fertilizer in the 203-24 fiscal. Of these, the amount of urea fertilizer is 27 lakh metric tonnes. The project has been implemented costing Tk 15,500 crore. Of the amount, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Limited (MHI) and China National Chemical Engineering No 7 Construction Co Ltd (CC-7) have jointly given the loan of Tk 8,617 crore. The rest amount of money came from the state exchequer. Around 30,000 domestic and foreign nationals will work at the factory. The number of permanent staff is 968.

Sources said the latest technology has been used to set up the factory. The environmental pollutant Carbon-Di-Oxide (CO2) will be captured from the primary reformer flue gas for the first time in the country. The production of urea fertiliser will be increased by about 10 per cent by using the captured CO2. This factory will produce big-size urea fertilizer instead of traditional small-size urea. Big-size urea is environment-friendly. 

Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation (BCIC) Chairman Saidur Rahman told journalists that Ghorasal Polash Urea Fertilizer Factory is the latest and most eco-friendly. Chinese companies -- Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Limited (MHI) and China National Chemical Engineering No 7 Construction Co Ltd (CC-7) are jointly providing technical support to the factory.

Ghorasal Polash Fertilizer Public Limited Company project director Rajiur Rahman Mallik said the trial production of the factory started on October 13. The full-fledged production will be started after the inauguration by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

@ The article was published on print and online versions of The Bangladesh Pratidin on October 16, 2023 and has been rewritten in English by Golam Rosul.