ADITMARI, Bangladesh — Farmers in Lalmonirhat’s Aditmari upazila say a syndicate controlling the fertilizer market is forcing them to pay double the official price while government-allocated supplies are diverted to the black market.
Government-allocated fertilizer is missing from dealers’ warehouses, but the same stocks are available in retail shops at double the price, residents said. Farmers face an artificial shortage on one side and a booming trade in adulterated fertilizer on the other. They allege a powerful syndicate is holding farmers hostage and siphoning off crores of taka.
A visit to several unions in Aditmari showed farmers in distress over the Rabi-season cultivation. Although triple superphosphate (TSP) is urgently needed for planting potatoes and other crops, dealers licensed by the Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation (BCIC) flatly say no fertilizer is available. At nearby retail shops, the same fertilizer sells for 2,400 to 2,800 taka, and in some cases up to 3,200 taka.
Sujan Mia, a farmer from the Charitabari area, said he was forced to buy TSP fertilizer at 3,200 taka while planting potatoes. He accused dealers of selling supplies outside their authorized channels and telling farmers there was no allocation.
Farmers’ main complaint is the lack of oversight from the upazila agriculture office. Under the rules, sub-assistant agriculture officers are supposed to advise farmers in the field and monitor the market, but residents say they are rarely seen. Farmers allege the officers limit their work to signing dealers’ registers, allowing dealers to divert fertilizer stocks to the black market.
When farmers complain, agriculture officers shift blame to the administration, saying inspections cannot be carried out without the assistant commissioner of land. Unscrupulous traders are profiting from the deadlock, farmers said.
Although upazila agriculture officials promise regular inspections and strict action, victims say they see no results. Occasional inspections by the upazila administration or the agriculture department have failed to reach the main operators, and only small retailers receive token fines. Farmers say the inspections are for show.
Saikhul Arefin, deputy director of the district Department of Agricultural Extension, said there is no fertilizer shortage in the market. Residents asked why farmers are then being forced to buy fertilizer at double the price.
Trade in adulterated fertilizer has also surged behind the cover of the shortage, putting fields and seedbeds at risk, farmers said.
Farmers in Lalmonirhat are urging the chief adviser of the interim government to break the syndicate, ensure equitable fertilizer distribution and take exemplary action against corrupt officials. Otherwise, food production will suffer and thousands of farmers in the northern region will be left destitute, they said.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report