Farmers in Joypurhat said they are being forced to buy fertiliser at inflated prices during the peak potato-cultivation season as they are unable to obtain it at the official rate.
They alleged that traders are charging an extra Tk400 to Tk500 per bag for Triple Super Phosphate (TSP) and Di-Ammonium Phosphate (DAP) fertiliser above the government-set price.
Affected farmers said that the inflated fertiliser prices have made potato cultivation more difficult for them. If they protest, traders refuse to sell to them.
At the same time, no sales receipts are being provided, and traders decline to sell if a receipt is requested. More than a hundred farmers across the district describe a similar pattern of harassment.
After harvesting Aman paddy this season, farmers have begun preparing to plant potatoes, but they cannot buy non-urea fertilisers such as TSP, MOP and DAP at government-fixed prices.
Even when they manage to find fertiliser at the official rate, they are forced to buy expensive packaged organic fertiliser alongside it.
Although the government price for a 50-kg bag of TSP is Tk1,350, farmers said they are having to pay between Tk1,600 and Tk1,800.
Farmers alleged that although every shop in the market is charging above the government-set price, no steps have been taken.
They said that occasional market monitoring by the administration is far from adequate and brings them no relief.
They added traders become aware of monitoring in advance and take precautions, meaning officials do not detect signs of overpricing.
Farmers themselves avoid speaking during inspections for fear that if they complain, traders will refuse to sell them fertiliser, putting them in an even worse situation.
Mokaddes Ali, a farmer from Sotahar village in Sadar upazila, said that retail fertiliser traders were openly selling at higher prices.
“The government price for one bag of TSP and one bag of DAP is Tk2,050, but traders are charging Tk2,500 to Tk2,800,” he said. “Yet neither the administration nor the agriculture department has taken any action.”
Farmer Moslem Uddin of Komor village said that he had completed all preparations for planting potatoes on four and a half bighas of land but could not begin due to the lack of fertiliser. Having no alternative, he went to a dealer in Hizla Bazar, only to find a long queue of farmers waiting for fertiliser.
Belal Hossain, a farmer from Belgari village in Khetlal upazila, said, “For potato cultivation on 10 bighas of land, I need 35 bags of urea, TSP, DAP and MOP. Despite trying at various local shops, I could not buy fertiliser at the government rate. One dealer in Bottoli Bazar finally agreed to sell at the official price but imposed a condition that I must also buy packaged organic fertiliser. I was forced to purchase organic fertiliser worth Tk7,000 along with the 35 bags.”
He added that not only he, Mokaddes or Moslem, but countless farmers across the district are facing the same ordeal.
Rownakul Islam Chowdhury, president of the District Fertiliser Traders’ Association, said that the agriculture department’s marketing wing had recruited dealers “like mushroom growth”.
He claimed discrepancies arise due to multiple layers of distribution. “The more hands involved, the higher the price becomes. That is why we, the authorised dealers, are selling fertiliser directly to farmers,” he said.
He also claimed government monitoring had kept the market “under control”.
Sadiqul Islam, deputy director of the district Department of Agricultural Extension, said that the district has a target of cultivating potatoes on 39,000 hectares of land this year. Against a November demand of 29,932 metric tonnes of non-urea fertiliser, the district received an allocation of 13,710 metric tonnes.
He said the district currently has adequate fertiliser stocks and that no complaints about shortages or overpricing have been received so far. Appropriate action would be taken if any such complaint is lodged, he added.
