FE Report

The country will require 1.47 million tonnes of diesel in the next cropping season for irrigation purpose, which is 5.0 per cent higher than the previous year's consumption of around 1.4 million tonnes, officials said Wednesday.

State-owned Eastern Refinery Ltd (ERL) will provide 187,000 tonnes of diesel after refining crude from its plant, while the remaining 1.28 million tonnes will be imported from overseas.

The energy ministry has already directed Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) to ensure smooth supply of diesel during the coming cropping season from December this year to May 2010.

"There will be no problem in supplying the additional

fuel to meet the growing domestic demand," BPC Chairman Anawarul Karim told the FE.

Last year, some 250,000 irrigation pumps -- shallow, deep and low-lift - were operational during the irrigation season when around 4.6 million hectares of land were cultivated across the country.

Of the total land to be brought under irrigation, 41 per cent is in Rajshahi, 30 per cent in Dhaka 13 percent in Khulna and the remaining 16 per cent in other parts of the country.

This year, the number of pumps might increase and more land will be brought under the irrigation.

Currently, the BPC imports around 3.65 million tonnes of fuel for domestic consumption annually.