A mobile court has fined a BADC fertiliser dealer, Abdul Jalil, in Tarash, Sirajganj, on charges of selling fertiliser above the price set by the government.
The drive was carried out on Saturday (17 October) afternoon at Mohishluti Bazar in Naogaon union of the upazila.
Abdul Jalil, owner of Momtaz Traders at Mohishluti Bazar and a former general secretary of the union BNP, runs his business as a fertiliser dealer approved by the BADC. Farmers alleged that he had been selling fertiliser above the government price for a long time.
Acting on the complaints, the mobile court fined Abdul Jalil Tk 50,000 for selling fertiliser at higher prices and for not keeping farmers’ mobile numbers in his stock register. The fine was imposed by Nusrat Jahan, the upazila nirbahi officer (UNO) and executive magistrate.
The upazila agriculture officer, Emilia Jannat, said there was enough fertiliser allocated, that a zero-tolerance policy was being followed on fertiliser sales, and that action would be taken against anyone found engaging in corruption.
UNO Nusrat said the drive was carried out on the basis of farmers’ complaints, and that the administration would keep up such drives to stop fertiliser being sold outside the set price.
Local farmers said demand for fertiliser rises in the mustard season, and many farmers have trouble getting what they need. When some take the chance to sell above the set price, farmers’ production costs rise further. They called for regular monitoring of the market and for sales at the government price to be ensured.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report