The Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Ministry of Agriculture has formed a three-member committee to identify problems concerning irregularities in fertiliser distribution, stockpiling, and management, as well as the illegal stockpiling and marketing of fertiliser, and to formulate recommendations.
The committee was formed on Monday during the second meeting of Parliamentary Standing Committee on Ministry of Agriculture.
At the meeting held in Parliament, presided over by Md Shahadat Hossain, committee chairman, discussions were also held regarding fertiliser distribution management and allegations of irregularities in the appointment of fertiliser dealers.
A press release from the Parliament Secretariat said that following a proposal by Md Mostafizur Rahman, committee member, the three-member committee was formed with him as its convener.
The other two members of the committee are Md Rokon Uddin Babul and Mst Sabira Sultana.
The committee will conduct on-site inspections of fertiliser distribution, stockpiling, and management activities. In addition, it will identify problems related to illegal stockpiling, marketing, and other irregularities involving fertiliser, and formulate specific recommendations to resolve them.
At the meeting, recommendations were made to take necessary action regarding allegations of irregularities and anomalies in the appointment of fertiliser dealers.
The committee recommended that in cases where dealership agreements have not yet been executed, the contracts remain suspended until the allegations are settled.
For cases where agreements have already been executed, it called for the allegations to be properly investigated and necessary measures taken.
In particular, it recommended that allegations regarding dealer appointments in Lalmonirhat, Barguna, Satkhira, Faridpur, Naogaon, and Jashore districts be considered with gravity and necessary steps be taken.
At the meeting, the committee chairman said that the artificial crisis created surrounding fertiliser distribution management was successfully resolved through prompt and effective intervention.
He also said that there is currently no fertiliser crisis in the country, but rather an adequate stock compared to demand.
The chairman added that if fertiliser factories can continue production in full swing, an opportunity may be created in the future to export surplus fertiliser alongside meeting domestic demand.
At the start of the meeting, the minutes of the previous meeting were confirmed. Later, the implementation progress of decisions taken in the first meeting was presented on behalf of the ministry.
Mohammad Amin Ur Rashid, agriculture minister, attended the meeting along with Md Shahidul Islam, Md Mostafizur Rahman, Md Rokon Uddin Babul, Md Mujibur Rahman Chowdhury, Mst Sabira Sultana, and Md Golam Rosul, committee members.
In addition, the secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, directors general of departments under the ministry, heads of relevant agencies, and officials of the Jatiya Sangsad Secretariat took part in the meeting.
