Unable to get fertilizer, farmers in Bhurungamari, Kurigram, broke into a dealer’s warehouse and made off with the fertilizer inside. The incident occurred Sunday morning in the upazila’s Shilkhuri union.
Police are conducting an operation to recover the looted fertilizer. The relevant agriculture department says some farmers have since returned some of the fertilizer.
It is understood that a quiet fertilizer shortage has persisted across various parts of the upazila this Aman season. Farmers in Shilkhuri union allege that despite repeated attempts, they were unable to get adequate fertilizer. They allege dealers created an artificial shortage, withholding fertilizer at the government-set price while selling it at higher prices on the open market instead.
Farmers allege that Shah Amanat Traders, the fertilizer dealer for Shilkhuri union, collected its allocation of 340 sacks of urea and stored it in the warehouse. Farmers repeatedly went to the dealer’s warehouse but could not get any fertilizer. Angered, local farmers broke into the warehouse Sunday morning and took the urea.
Bhurungamari police station reached the scene quickly after receiving the news and brought the situation under control. At the request of police and local administration, farmers returned some of the fertilizer.
Attempts to reach Taifur Rahman Mukul, the dealership’s owner, were unsuccessful.
Azim Uddin, officer-in-charge of Bhurungamari police station, said: “Fearing they wouldn’t get fertilizer, farmers took it from the warehouse. Police went to the scene after receiving the news and calmed the situation. Of the 190 sacks of fertilizer farmers took, some have been recovered through police efforts. Efforts to recover the rest are under way.”
Upazila agriculture officer Abdul Jabbar said: “The union’s total urea allocation was 1,320 sacks, of which the dealer had collected 340 sacks this round. On the day of the incident, while fertilizer was being distributed in the presence of law enforcement, a group of unruly people broke into the dealer’s warehouse and forcibly took 190 sacks. Some of the fertilizer has since been recovered with the help of local dignitaries.”
Bhurungamari Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Amrita Debnath said: “The circle ASP and I are at the scene. Efforts are under way to recover the looted fertilizer.”
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report