DHAKA, Nov 11, 2023 (BSS) - Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will open the country's largest Ghorashal-Polash Urea Fertiliser Factory tomorrow constructed by Industries Ministry in Narshingdi district, 46km distant from the capital, to turn the country into a industrialized nation.

The factory will play a leading role in meeting the increasing demand of urea fertiliser, ensuring supply of fertiliser to farmers at affordable prices, saving foreign currency by reducing imports and creating employment opportunities, said senior secretary of the Industries Ministry Zakia Sultana at a press conference on Thursday.

She said the government has been implementing many projects to achieve economic prosperity through implementation of the Vision 2041 to turn the country into a Smart Bangladesh.

As per the instruction of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in 2014, the Industries Ministry took an initiative to set up a new granular urea fertilizer factory at the place of the existing two fertilizer factories - Urea Fertilizer Factory Limited (UFFL) and Polash Urea Fertilizer Factory Limited (PUFFL) at Ghorashal under Palash upazila in Narsingdi district.

According to project details, Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation (BCIC) has implemented the 'Ghorashal Polash Urea Fertilizer Project' at a cost of around Taka 15,500.21 crore.

Out of the total project cost, Taka 4,580.21 crore came from the government exchequer while Taka 10,920 crore from Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC), Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFG Limited (MUFG) and the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited (HSBC) as commercial loan.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Limited (MHI) and China National Chemical Engineering No 7 Construction Co Ltd (CC-7) jointly constructed the factory, which will have an annual production capacity of 9.24 lakh metric tons.

Per day production capacity of the new factory is about three times higher than that of the earlier two fertiliser factories.

It is the first fertilizer factory in Bangladesh where the environmental pollutant Carbon-Di-Oxide (CO2) will be captured from the primary reformer flue gas and the production of urea fertilizer will be increased (about 10pc ) by using the captured CO2.

This is "modern, sophisticated, energy efficient and green" fertilizer factory in the country which will reduce the import of urea fertilizer and save hard-earned foreign currency.