Anger is mounting among farmers in several parts of the country over fertiliser shortages, supply disruptions and price hikes amid rising demand during the Aman season, despite government assurances that stocks are adequate.
Kurigram farmer Abdul Alim told TIMES, “We only hear that fertiliser is available. But we do not get it. We have to buy it at an extra Tk5 per kilogram.”
However, Kamrul Hasan, joint secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, said, “There is no shortage of fertiliser. What is being heard about fertiliser is a rumour.”
For more than a month, farmers have reported difficulties in getting fertiliser in several districts. In some areas, they alleged that dealers were charging Tk500 to Tk700 more for a 50-kilogram sack.
The frustration has triggered protests, road blockades and even incidents of fertiliser being taken from dealer points. In Kurigram alone, farmers broke into two dealer facilities within two weeks.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture, the country had 1.2294 million tonnes of fertiliser in stock as of Tuesday, including 410,000 tonnes of urea, 339,600 tonnes of triple super phosphate (TSP), 309,700 tonnes of diammonium phosphate (DAP) and 185,700 tonnes of muriate of potash (MOP).
The ministry said fertiliser stocks stood at 1.1498 million tonnes during the same period of the previous fiscal year.
Agriculture officials have attributed the pressure partly to farmers stockpiling fertiliser ahead of potato, maize and onion cultivation. Farmers, however, said they were struggling to obtain fertiliser for their current crops.
Recent incidents in Kurigram, Rajshahi, Lalmonirhat, Sirajganj and Dinajpur have highlighted the gap between reported national stocks and availability at local sales points.
On 23 August, farmers broke into the dealer point of Shah Amanat Traders in Shilkhuri Union of Bhurungamari upazila in Kurigram and took fertiliser. On 7 September, a similar incident occurred at the warehouse of M/s Mita Hasan Enterprise in Bandarbari Union.
In recent days, farmers in several Kurigram upazilas have staged protests after failing to obtain fertiliser from sales points. In Roumari and Sonahat, they blocked roads and confined agriculture officials.
At M/s Anupam Traders in Roumari Bazar, farmers attempted to break open the gate of the fertiliser sales centre, prompting the deployment of police and Border Guard Bangladesh personnel.
In Sonahat, farmers blocked roads near the M/s Afi fertiliser warehouse in the Patweshwari Bridge area and confined an agriculture official after failing to get supplies.
“Government officials will obviously say there is fertiliser. But we do not get it. Even if we get it, the price is higher. The poor are suffering,” farmer Sachchu Mia said.
Abdullah Al Mamun, deputy director of the Department of Agricultural Extension in Kurigram, said many farmers were collecting fertiliser in advance for potato and maize cultivation, creating temporary pressure in the market.
In Rajshahi, hundreds of farmers blocked the Rajshahi-Dhaka highway in Puthia on Monday, alleging they were not getting fertiliser at government-set prices. Farmer Rafiqul Islam said many farmers had been waiting in queues since 6am without any guarantee of receiving fertiliser.
Puthia Upazila Nirbahi Officer Liaquat Salman said action would be taken against dealers selling fertiliser above government-set prices or attempting to create artificial shortages.
Osman Ali, president of the Rajshahi district Fertiliser and Pesticide Committee and Bangladesh Fertiliser Association (BFA) Rajshahi unit, said there was no shortage of urea fertiliser in the district. However, stocks of non-urea fertilisers tend to decline towards the end of the month.
Dealers said some farmers use more fertiliser than recommended by agriculture officials, increasing demand. They also said farmers buying fertiliser by the sack rather than in smaller quantities were putting additional pressure on supplies.
The BFA said fertiliser allocations should be revised based on the number of farmers, cultivated land and crop demand in each district.
In Lalmonirhat, farmers have staged repeated road blockades over the past month over alleged shortages and price hikes. Following protests in Kaliganj last month, farmers again blocked roads near the buffer warehouse in Mahendranagar on 6 September and the Barabari-Rangpur highway at Fakirer Takiya on 7 September.
Farmers alleged that dealers were collecting fertiliser from government buffer warehouses and storing it in private warehouses, reducing supplies at union-level sales points and creating artificial shortages.
Similar allegations have emerged from Sirajganj and Dinajpur.
Agriculture Minister Amin Ur Rashid Yasin said the government was monitoring the supply system to ensure farmers did not face difficulties.
He said action would be taken against anyone found creating artificial shortages or selling fertiliser above the approved price.
Abdul Awal from Rajshahi contributed to this story.
