Farmers have had to stand in line for six hours from the morning outside dealers’ shops for just 10 kilograms of fertiliser. Unable to get as much as they need even with money in hand, they have voiced anger and frustration.
Some farm five kani of land, some seven, and some as much as 14 kani of Aman paddy, yet after a long wait they get only 10kg of fertiliser.
This was the scene at fertiliser dealers’ shops across Ukhiya upazila in Cox’s Bazar on Wednesday (September 30). Long queues of farmers formed from dawn, and many say they went home empty-handed after waiting for hours.
“I have been standing in line from 6am to noon and still haven’t got any fertiliser. Those who got some got 10kg each. It’s hard to say how much longer we’ll have to stand,” said farmer Nurul Alam.
Farmers say that without enough fertiliser at this crucial stage of the Aman crop, they cannot apply as much as their fields need, threatening production, and discontent is growing as they get far less than they need after long waits.
Mohammad Kabir, president of the Ukhiya upazila fertiliser dealers, said 9,705 hectares had been cultivated across Ukhiya this season, with a lot of paddy also grown on protected forest land, large betel nut gardens in Sonarpara and elsewhere, and vegetables grown in Rohingya and local homesteads. The full amount of fertiliser needed for all this has not been allocated by the government, he said.
There are also allegations that some unscrupulous people are smuggling fertiliser to Myanmar for extra profit, he said. In his view, the extra demand from farmland, gardens and homestead farming, together with alleged smuggling, has created the current situation in Ukhiya.
Upazila agriculture officer Kamanashis Sarkar acknowledged that supply is short of farmers’ demand and promised a quick resolution. “Farmers have been collecting fertiliser from dealers’ shops since September 30. We are working to resolve the shortage. Farmers who have received none at all will be given fertiliser on a priority basis. We hope the problem will be solved soon,” he said.
Farmers ask how those growing on a larger scale can meet their needs if they must queue for six hours for 10kg in the Aman season, when timely fertiliser use is so important. They want supply and distribution normalised quickly, allocations set according to real demand, and allegations of smuggling and illegal hoarding investigated and acted on.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report