Farmers in Gaibandha say fertiliser syndicates are pushing up cultivation costs as retailers sell fertiliser above government-set prices during the current boro season.
The northern district, surrounded by the Teesta, Brahmaputra and Jamuna rivers, has about 165 char and island char areas where most people depend on farming and agricultural labour.
Agriculture has expanded in recent years as fertile silt deposits have improved soil conditions.
Farmers now cultivate aman, boro and aus rice, jute, wheat, chilli, maize and vegetables, while char areas also produce peanuts and kaun and support livestock farming.
Farmers say these crops require large quantities of fertiliser, but they are often forced to buy it at inflated prices.
Agricultural authorities have conducted several drives against illegal fertiliser trading.
On January 17 at about 10:30 pm, the Sadar Upazila agriculture department seized 20 sacks of fertiliser along with a van at Kadamtali on the Gaibandha–Sundarganj road in Kholahati union after the transporter failed to show purchase receipts.
The next morning Sadar Upazila Agriculture Officer Rakibul Alam and Assistant Commissioner Land Jahangir Alam Babu conducted a drive at Tulsighat market.
During the operation, 34 sacks of DAP fertiliser were seized from the houses of retail traders Khaja Mia, Shahadat Hossain and Nirmal Babu on allegations of illegal storage and black marketing.
The traders were fined Tk20,000.
Ten days later, on January 27 at about 8 pm, locals stopped a mini truck carrying 200 sacks of urea fertiliser at Kadamtali in Gaibandha town because the driver could not show purchase documents.
The Sadar Upazila agriculture officer later moved the fertiliser to the upazila parishad premises.
The truck driver, Mintu Mondol, was fined Tk20,000 by a mobile court led by Assistant Commissioner Land Jahangir Alam for transporting goods illegally.
The seized fertiliser was handed over to the deputy director of the Department of Agricultural Extension.
Investigations later found that a dealer from neighbouring Palashbari upazila, Messrs Ram Chandra Saha, had collected fertiliser allocated for Mahadipur union from the Tulsighat buffer warehouse but was transporting it to Matherhat in Sadar upazila instead of the designated area.
Farmers say such incidents highlight the influence of fertiliser syndicates.
The Department of Agricultural Extension said the target for boro cultivation this year is 129,020 hectares across the district’s seven upazilas.
To support cultivation, farmers require 40,129 metric tonnes of urea, 16,650 metric tonnes of TSP, 21,459 metric tonnes of potash and 16,916 metric tonnes of DAP fertiliser.
Authorities say nearly 40,000 metric tonnes of urea are currently available, while stocks of TSP and potash are sufficient and about 13,000 metric tonnes of DAP fertiliser are in reserve.
Fertiliser is distributed through 111 dealers under the Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation and 118 dealers under the Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation.
Demand for urea has increased as farmers plant boro after harvesting potatoes and mustard.
The government has fixed retail prices at Tk27 per kilogram for urea and TSP, Tk20 for potash and Tk21 for DAP fertiliser.
Farmers say retailers in local markets are charging Tk3 to Tk5 more per kilogram and often refuse to provide purchase receipts.
Kajol Mia, a farmer from Norotpur village in Boali union, said fertiliser prices have increased by Tk3 to Tk5 per kilogram while pesticide prices have risen by 15 to 20 per cent.
Mamun Mia, a farmer from Kochuar Khamar village in Malibari union, said he needs 30 to 35 sacks of fertiliser each season but cannot buy directly from dealers.
“I have to buy from retail shops at Tk150 to Tk200 more per sack,” he said.
Several retailers in Sadar upazila, requesting anonymity, said dealers charge them higher prices.
“Because dealers charge more, we are forced to sell fertiliser at higher prices,” they said.
Dealers including Messrs Latif Haqqani and Nurul Amin Haqqani denied allegations of black marketing and said fertiliser is sold according to regulations with receipts.
A sub-assistant agriculture officer, requesting anonymity, alleged that some journalists also interfere in enforcement operations.
He said journalists sometimes report fertiliser seizures to the agriculture office but later request the release of the goods and contact higher officials to avoid further action.
Gaibandha Department of Agricultural Extension Additional Deputy Director Atikul Islam said there is no fertiliser shortage in the district.
“All types of fertiliser are available in buffer warehouses. Several traders have already been fined and warned for charging extra and selling fertiliser without receipts,” he said.
He added that market monitoring will continue throughout the cultivation season.
