Several thousand Aman farmers in Lalmonirhat blocked a highway over a failure to get enough fertiliser on time and in the required amount for the paddy planted this Aman season.
On Monday (10 August) morning, several thousand farmers took position on the highway in the Kaliganj Bazar area of the upazila from 7am to 10am and began protesting.
The farmers’ blockade created a roughly one-kilometre tailback on both sides of the Lalmonirhat-Burimari highway, stranding stone-laden and goods-carrying trucks and other vehicles and causing hardship to passengers and drivers.
On getting the news, Kaliganj Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Md Saiful Islam and Kaliganj police reached the spot and tried to bring the situation under control.
The protesting farmers alleged that the fertiliser needed for Aman cultivation was not available at government-set prices, forcing them to buy it at higher rates.
The farmers said a bag of TSP fertiliser, meant to cost Tk1,350 at the government-set price, was selling for up to Tk2,200 in the market. Likewise, DAP fertiliser, with a set price of Tk1,050, was selling for Tk1,700 to Tk1,800, and a bag of urea, priced at Tk1,350, was selling for up to Tk1,800, they alleged.
Ayub Ali of the Kashiram area said the higher fertiliser prices in the Aman season were pushing up production costs, and that unless adequate fertiliser was ensured at government-set prices, farmers would fall into greater difficulty. Fertiliser was not available from dealers at government-set prices but was available at retail shops at higher prices, he said.
UNO Md Saiful Islam later came to the spot and assured the farmers that fertiliser would be distributed as needed within the next two days. On his assurance, the farmers left the highway after about two hours and traffic returned to normal.
Lalmonirhat district Department of Agricultural Extension director Md Saiful Arefin said there was no fertiliser shortage this season and that dealers had adequate stocks. Why a fertiliser shortage was occurring in that area of Kaliganj, and why the situation kept recurring, would be looked into and action taken, he said.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report