Local fertilizer output covers only 3% of needs

 

Domestic fertilizer factories can produce and distribute only about three per cent of Myanmar’s total fertilizer demand, Deputy Minister for Electricity and Energy U Kyaw Naing Win said.

The deputy minister made the remarks in response to a question from U San Maung, Pyithu Hluttaw representative for Bogale Constituency, at the second-day meeting of the Third Regular Session of the Third Pyithu Hluttaw in Nay Pyi Taw on 22 September.

Of the five fertilizer factories under the Ministry of Electricity and Energy, only No 4 Fertilizer Factory (Myaungtaka) and No 5 Fertilizer Factory (Kangyidaunt) are currently operational. Due to limited natural gas supplies, the two factories produce and distribute about 10,000 tonnes of urea fertilizer a month.

U Kyaw Naing Win said the resumption of operations at suspended fertilizer factories and the construction of new ones depended on the availability of natural gas and the expansion of gas pipelines. Natural gas production is currently used mainly for electricity generation and transport. If gas production increases and pipeline networks are expanded, fertilizer production can be increased in line with market demand.

U San Maung said increasing domestic fertilizer production and distribution would benefit farmers, noting that a 50-kilogramme bag of urea fertilizer produced domestically costs about K45,000, compared with about K120,000 for imported fertilizer.

TWA/MKKS

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