Angry farmers blockaded a major road and staged a demonstration in Bhurungamari of Kurigram district on Wednesday morning demanding fertiliser, lifting the blockade only after the local administration intervened and assured immediate distribution.
The protest began on Wednesday morning when farmers gathered at MS Rakibul Traders, a Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC) approved fertiliser dealer point at Sonahat Bazar, and learned that fertiliser would not be distributed that day.
Outraged by the announcement, the farmers blockaded the Sonahat Land Port road directly in front of the dealer point, causing long traffic tailbacks on both sides of the road.
Upon receiving the news, Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Amrita Deb Nath, Upazila Agriculture Officer Abdul Jabbar, and Officer-in-Charge (OC) Azim Uddin, along with police officers and a team of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) from Sonahat Camp, rushed to the spot to bring the situation under control.
Kurigram Department of Agricultural Extension Deputy Director Abdullah Al Mamun also arrived at the scene.
The farmers lifted the road blockade after the UNO assured them of fertiliser distribution. Following the assurance, fertiliser was distributed among the farmers under the supervision of the upazila administration, police, BGB, and Ansar members.
Hazrat Ali, the proprietor of MS Rakibul Traders, said that according to the latest delivery order (DO), he had lifted 235 bags of DAP, 95 bags of TSP, and 90 bags of MOP fertiliser. “Wednesday was not scheduled for fertiliser distribution,” Ali said, explaining that they had to distribute the fertiliser with the help of the administration after more than a hundred farmers suddenly gathered and behaved angrily.
Upazila Agriculture Officer Abdul Jabbar confirmed that Wednesday was not the scheduled day for fertiliser distribution at Rakibul Traders. Instead, 300 bags of Urea fertiliser were scheduled for distribution at MS Jonardon Traders, a Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation (BCIC) fertiliser dealer point at the Sonahat Camp intersection.
However, due to the chaos created by the farmers, fertiliser was ultimately distributed at both dealer points in the presence of the administration.
UNO Amrita Deb Nath said, “We rushed to the spot upon receiving the news. Later, fertiliser was distributed among the farmers in the presence of police, BGB, and Ansar members.” He assured that the situation is currently calm and there is no fertiliser crisis in the upazila.
