S M Kabir Hossain of Shekhhati village in Jashore has planted Aman rice on one and a half bighas of land this season. For this, he currently needs 30 kilograms of TSP fertilizer. But collecting that fertilizer has meant facing all kinds of harassment. In the end, he managed to secure 25 kilograms from a shop at the local Jamrultala Bazar — but only after paying nearly double the government-set price.
This isn’t just farmer Kabir Hossain’s story. Thousands of farmers across Jashore are now facing similar harassment and having to pay double for fertilizer.
Although government-subsidized fertilizer is being openly sold at double the price, no effective action has yet been taken. In some cases, the administration has conducted a raid or two, but the open, ongoing overpricing has still not been formally acknowledged. As a result, the fertilizer syndicate’s exploitation of farmers’ labor continues openly and unchecked.
S M Kabir Hossain alleged: “Fertilizer is being sold openly at inflated prices. But no real action is being taken. The shopkeeper knows me, so he charged me a bit less than double. But right in front of me, he sold TSP fertilizer to someone else at 52 taka per kilogram.”
A fertilizer seller named Tariqul Islam said: “Fertilizer isn’t available. Prices fluctuate every day. We have to buy fertilizer at higher prices ourselves. That’s why we can’t sell it at the government-set price.”
Abdul Alim, a farmer from Narangali village in Jashore’s Jhikargachha upazila, also recently said he bought 20 kilograms of TSP from the open market at 52 taka per kilogram for his four bighas of Aman land.
Calculations show that by selling fertilizer at double the price, Jashore’s fertilizer syndicate is looting more than 3.5 billion taka from farmers this Aman season alone.
While responsible agriculture officials have not acknowledged the overpricing, multiple field-level sub-assistant agriculture officers said, on condition of anonymity, that they themselves are facing farmers’ anger over the issue.
According to the Department of Agricultural Extension’s Jashore office, the district has set a target of cultivating Aman rice on 132,692 hectares this season. Total fertilizer demand for this land has been set at 155,237 metric tons.
Of this, urea demand is 68,903 metric tons, TSP 17,598 metric tons, DAP 43,225 metric tons, and MOP 25,511 metric tons.
At the government-set farmer-level price, the total value of this fertilizer comes to roughly 3.75 billion taka. Of this, urea accounts for 1.86 billion taka, TSP 475.1 million taka, DAP 907.7 million taka, and MOP 510.2 million taka.
If this fertilizer is sold at double the government price, the total amount collected from farmers would come to roughly 7.5 billion taka — meaning farmers would be forced to pay roughly 3.75 billion taka more than the government price.
According to the latest available figures, as of August 25, Jashore had drawn 8,534 metric tons of urea, 2,810 tons of TSP, 2,140 tons of DAP and 2,231 tons of MOP from this month’s allocation.
As of the same date, warehouses in the district held stocks of 3,735 metric tons of urea, 1,148 tons of TSP, 1,029 tons of DAP and 1,413 tons of MOP. Combined warehouse stock across the four fertilizer types totaled 7,425 metric tons.
Department of Agricultural Extension, Jashore office deputy director Mosharraf Hossain told the Daily Runner two weeks ago that they had adequate fertilizer stock and there was no scope for selling it at inflated prices. He said anyone found selling at higher prices would face strict action.
However, fertilizer is currently being sold openly at nearly double the price. Attempts to reach him for comment were unsuccessful. He did not respond even to a WhatsApp message.