Pakistan's problem with fertiliser

[RescueRanger]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1389762977541337088

This image taken from twitter shows the latest haul from the CTD intelligence based operation in which a cache of weapons and explosives were seized. This image in particular caught my attention, this is an IED making kit, ball bearings and (HME = Home Made Explosive) known as ANFO.

Ever since the Marriott Bombing incident, the head of the JIT had mentioned in his preliminary post blast investigation that the complex device was a combination of ANFO, enhanced with aluminium dust. Militants in Pakistan use Potassium chlorate, with ANFO being the explosive of choice.

Fertilizer-based explosives still remain our greatest challenge in countering the IED threat in Pakistan. According to historic data and PBI reports, more than 80 percent of IEDs employed against Pakistani security forces are homemade explosives (HME), and of those, about 70 percent are made with ammonium nitrate derived from calcium ammonium nitrate (CAN)--a common agricultural fertiliser produced in Pakistan.

CAN is produced by two factories in Pakistan, with a total production capacity of 870,000 metric tons annually, converting the fertiliser into explosive material that is 1.4 times more powerful than TNT is fairly simple, requiring only water and a heat source. After processing, the ammonium nitrate is white and powdery, and to the untrained eye resembles gram flour or washing powder.

Since 2011 the U.S. has requested Pakistan's main producers of CAN based fertiliser - Fatima & Pak-Arab, to regulate the sale of calcium ammonium nitrate based fertiliser, however this has been not acted upon, that was then and this is now. According to a report by JICA 45 percent of the total Pakistani work force is engaged in agriculture (Usman, 2016). It contributed to nearly 19 percent of the yearly GDP between 2017 and 2018, and has experienced a growth of 3.81 percent as the production of cash crops began ascending (Ministry of Finance, 2018).

The pushback from GOP at the time resulted in Pakistan loosing out on a vital USAID contract, the justification given in 2011 was that the agricultural sector which is the backbone of Pakistan's economy was dependant on use of CAN fertiliser, however since 2011 there have been several new plants set up in the country that produce a variety of different types of fertiliser.

Furthermore the following figure shows that Pakistan's crop table shows the diversity of fertiliser that can be used in Pakistan instead of CAN based fertiliser. To put it into perspective Pakistan has the capacity to produce 4.3 million tonnes of urea based fertiliser annually.

There are a number of solutions available which are easy to implement including the use of pink coloured dye in the CAN based fertiliser making it easy to detect, through to educating the farming community to utilise nitrogen based fertiliser, as urea and nitrogen based fertiliser use increases, this will also open avenues for export to neighbouring countries.

Sadly Pakistan has a habit of sitting on its hands until disaster strikes and its not a matter of IF, but WHEN. And it falls on the Government of Pakistan to regulate the manufacture CAN fertiliser for a safer, more prosperous Pakistan.

References:
GAO-14-274, Chemical Safety: Actions Needed to Improve Federal Oversight of Facilities with Ammonium Nitrate
Fertilizer use by crop in Pakistan (fao.org)
パキスタン (jica.go.jp)

 

[Goenitz]

converting the fertiliser into explosive material that is 1.4 times more powerful than TNT is fairly simple, requiring only water and a heat source.

Seems mixing organic material would not help.

to implement including the use of pink coloured dye in the CAN based fertiliser making it easy to detect,

That would at least makes transportation difficult if the slat looks like gram flour or washing powder.
Anywaym good research topic.

 

[Imran Khan]

why not simply gov banned it ?

 

[Goenitz]

why not simply gov banned it ?

no cheaper alternative perhaps.
Then for new fertiliser, a new billion $ plant is needed.

 

[fitpOsitive]

why not simply gov banned it ?

FOJI fertilizer.

 

[Imran Khan]

no cheaper alternative perhaps.
Then for new fertiliser, a new billion $ plant is needed.

how other companies making urea then . OP mentioned only two urea companies use it .

 

[Goenitz]

how other companies making urea then . OP mentioned only two urea companies use it .

I think crop-dependent.

"The advantage of Calcium Nitrate is the presence of Nitrogen in Nitrate form (N-NO3). Nitrate is preferred by plants to Ammonium (N-NH4) or Urea (N-NH2). Ammonium will reduce the pH of the substrate and can be toxic for the plant at high concentrations. Urea is not readily available for the plant."
So, we need at least CAN from time to time for better absorption and to maintain pH.