Agriculture Ministry denies fertilizer shortage as raids continue nationwide
Officials call shortage reports 'rumor' even as raids fine dealers for hoarding and overcharging, and reserve-stock data shows shortfalls against safety targets.
English edition
Agriculture Desk, page 3
412 reports translated from the Bengali original, most recent first. বাংলা সংস্করণ
From BCS cadre to compost: one farmer's integrated agriculture bet
Ekhtiar Uddin Ahmed Munna left a secure banking career to build MM Agro, a Kishoreganj farm where fish, cattle, poultry and vermicompost feed into each other.
Farmer electrocuted while starting irrigation pump in Madarganj
Azahar Mondal, 55, was rushed to Madarganj Upazila Health Complex, where doctors declared him dead.
Rising costs, labor shortage worry Hathazari's Aman rice farmers
Farmers in Chattogram's Hathazari upazila say every stage of cultivation costs more this season, with some fertilizer sold above the fixed price.
Government trying to dodge fertilizer crisis complaints: Nahid Islam
NCP convener and opposition chief whip Nahid Islam says the 11-party alliance will march August 30 against a weak enforced-disappearance law.
Mobile court seizes 271 sacks of fertilizer in Chaugachha, fines trader
The stockpile, meant for sale above the government price, was found in a warehouse; a case has also been filed against the trader.
Chaugachha shop raid finds 13,550kg of illegally stockpiled fertilizer
Dealer Khairul Islam was fined 20,000 taka and confessed after a mobile court found 271 sacks of urea, TSP, DAP and MOP without valid documentation.
Bheramara farmer electrocuted while watering vegetable field
Md Alef, 37, a landless farmer who leased land to grow seedlings, died instantly after accidentally touching a live wire at his nursery.
Chaugachha seizes 37 sacks of government fertilizer headed for black market
Residents intercepted an unmarked shipment after reports of local fertilizer shortages, while a municipal agriculture officer denies tipping off the trader involved.
72 sacks of fertilizer seized from former UP chairman’s house in Gaibandha
Shahin Sarkar was fined after officials found urea, gypsum, DAP, TSP and potash at his home, though he says it was meant for his own farmland.
Jibannagar Quran hafez, 14, missing for five days
Sihab Hossain left home for his madrasa on August 21 and never arrived; his family has filed a GD and is appealing for public help to find him.
Fertilizer shortage leaves farmers struggling, threatens Aman rice output
Farmers say they can't get TSP and DAP even at inflated prices, while officials blame dealers for creating an artificial shortage tied to new dealership rules.
Jute prices fall by 1,000 taka a maund in Narail despite good harvest
Farmers who exceeded the district's cultivation target now worry about recovering costs as medium-quality jute drops to 3,000-3,500 taka a maund.
Betel-leaf farmers in Rajshahi turn to chui jhal as new cash crop
Farmers in Mohanpur upazila are commercially growing the pungent spice vine once confined to the southwest, drawing on techniques used for betel leaf.
Saltha onion farmers weep in silence
A bumper harvest in Faridpur's onion belt has turned into a loss as market prices fall below production costs and up to half the stored crop rots on the racks.
Success in new sugarcane variety, organic fertilizer production
Carew & Company's MD said the sugar mill's losses have narrowed, sugarcane prices are rising for farmers, and its organic fertilizer set a sales record this year.
Saltha onion farmers weep in silence
A bumper harvest in Faridpur's onion belt has turned into a loss as market prices fall below production costs and up to half the stored crop rots on the racks.
Gazipur auto-rickshaw driver murder solved, three arrested
PBI says two men strangled and beat driver Ataur Rahman to death for his vehicle; his 75-year-old mother died of shock hours later on hearing the news.
Farmers break into warehouse, loot fertilizer in Kurigram
Farmers in Bhurungamari allege a dealer was hoarding urea to sell above the government price; police recovered part of the 190 sacks taken after a warehouse break-in.
Britain’s aid to Bangladesh falls by more than 50 percent
A Sundarbans climate project is closing two years early after UK funding cuts, leaving about 20,000 people without expected support, The Independent reports.
Fertilizer shortage leaves Rajshahi’s Aman farmers desperate
Long lines, rationed sacks and above-market prices have hit fertilizer dealers across Rajshahi during the peak Aman planting season, farmers and officials say.
Government reshuffles three secretary posts, including at President’s Office
The government has issued gazette notifications moving officials between the President's Office, the Rural Development and Cooperatives Division and the Land Reform Board.
Kalapara’s Selim finds success growing watermelons
A farmer in Patuakhali's coastal Kalapara upazila has grown off-season black watermelons on his rooftop using sacks of soil, drawing curious crowds and interest from fellow growers.
Farmers turning to early-season bean cultivation
Farmers in Kishoreganj's Chandipasha are increasingly turning to early-season bean cultivation, drawn by returns of several times their investment on comparatively little land and cost.
4 new faces join cabinet, oath today
Four new members will join Prime Minister Tareque Rahman's cabinet, to be sworn in tonight by newly elected President Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir at Bangabhaban's Darbar Hall.
20 sacks of fertilizer seized during illegal transport in Gangni
Local farmers in Meherpur's Gangni intercepted an auto-van illegally transporting 20 sacks of fertilizer, which a mobile court then sold to farmers at the government-set price after fining the driver.
Farmer's body found in pond after 4 days missing
Police recovered the body of a 45-year-old farmer from a pond near his home in Jhenaidah's Kotchandpur, four days after he went missing, with the cause of death pending an autopsy.
Wrong herbicide destroys 15 decimals of paddy land
A farmer in Gaibandha's Sundarganj says a pesticide dealer's herbicide destroyed nearly all the paddy on his 15 decimals of land, though the dealer says the farmer had actually asked for weed killer for…
Rooftop garden brings a touch of green
Businessman and municipal BNP organizing secretary Khalid Hasan has built a rooftop garden of more than a hundred native and exotic fruit trees in Jamalpur's Madarganj, drawing praise from local agriculture officials.
Imamul succeeds growing guava on fallow land
Farmer Imamul Islam has found unexpected success growing 'Golden Eight' and 'Golden Ten' guava varieties on fallow land in Moulvibazar's Jhuri upazila, inspiring other local farmers to consider commercial guava cultivation.
2 fertilizer dealers fined in Raninagar for overpricing
A mobile court in Naogaon's Raninagar fined two fertilizer dealers a total of 17,000 taka for selling fertilizer to farmers above the government-set price.
Bangladesh Bank sets Tk 60,000 crore agricultural loan target
Bangladesh Bank has set a Tk 60,000 crore target for agricultural and rural credit disbursement in the 2026-27 fiscal year, a 53.8 percent increase from the previous year, with banks ordered to ensure loans…
Bloodied body of young man recovered from paddy field in Chunarughat
Police in Habiganj's Chunarughat recovered the bloodied body of a 35-year-old man from a paddy field, with initial findings pointing to murder and one person detained for questioning.
Jamuna Bank signs Tk 10,000 crore agricultural refinancing deal with Bangladesh Bank
Jamuna Bank PLC has joined Bangladesh Bank's Tk 100 billion refinancing scheme to boost food security, agricultural production and the rural economy, offering farmers loans at a maximum 8 percent simple interest.
What to do after a snakebite
Snakebite is a major public health problem in Bangladesh, and folk remedies like cutting the wound, sucking out venom, or tying a tight cord can make things worse — doctors say the only safe…
Vandals cut down farmer's 100-plus banana trees
Vandals cut down more than 100 banana trees belonging to farmer Noyon Pramanik in Shibganj, Bogura, under cover of darkness, prompting a complaint to police.
Citizens Bank signs agreement with Bangladesh Bank
Citizens Bank PLC has signed a participation agreement with Bangladesh Bank's Agricultural Credit Department-2 under the refinancing scheme for the agriculture and rural sector, allowing its agricultural clients to access low-interest loans.
Multimillion-taka irrigation pumps sit broken for eight years
Two powerful irrigation pumps installed by the Bangladesh Water Development Board in Narail have sat broken for eight years, leaving more than 1,000 hectares of farmland without irrigation and forcing farmers to pay steep…
Canal dug in Dewanganj to bring 5,000 acres back into cultivation
Upazila authorities in Dewanganj, Jamalpur, have excavated a drainage canal to relieve chronic waterlogging on roughly 5,000 acres of farmland that had gone uncultivated for nearly a decade.
Want to raise camels? Bangladesh Bank will lend you the money
Bangladesh Bank has added camel farming, fish-fry hatcheries and poultry-chick production to its list of activities eligible for agricultural loans, as it raised its overall farm and rural credit target to Tk 600 billion…
35 Medina products added to world heritage food list
Thirty-five traditional food and agricultural products from Saudi Arabia's Medina region have been added to the international Ark of Taste registry, part of a global initiative to preserve at-risk foods and support local producers.
Agricultural loan disbursement target set at 600 billion taka
Bangladesh Bank has set a 600 billion taka target for agricultural and rural sector loan disbursement in fiscal year 2026-27, a 53.85 percent increase from the previous year, alongside policy changes aimed at reaching…
Chuadanga holds district development coordination committee meeting
Chuadanga held its monthly district development coordination committee meeting, chaired by the district commissioner, reviewing progress on infrastructure, education, health, and other public service projects.
Regular care key to successful rooftop farming, expert advises
Rooftop farming can supply households with safe, poison-free vegetables, fruits, spices, and herbs while cooling the environment and boosting oxygen, an agriculture officer advises, outlining proper soil preparation, container selection, and pest control methods.
Chougachha's Sobuj finds success with integrated farm
Abul Hasan Sobuj of Chougachha, Jashore, has built a thriving integrated farm from three cows and ten goats, now producing milk, ghee, fish, fruit, vegetables, and biogas while creating jobs for local workers.
Early bean cultivation brings smiles to Kotchandpur farmers
Farmers in Kotchandpur, Jhenaidah, have planted early-season summer beans across 254 hectares this season, reaping strong prices at the start of the harvest and driving growing interest in the crop.
Farmer's arms broken in machete attack in Chougachha, victim says
A 50-year-old farmer in Chougachha, Jashore, says both his arms were broken when a rival group attacked him with a machete and iron rods over a longstanding feud, leaving him too afraid to file…
Sukanta Bhattacharya at 100: the poet who gave voice to the hungry and the dispossessed
On the birth centenary of Sukanta Bhattacharya, a look back at the young Bengali poet who set aside romance for revolution, turning his verse toward famine, class struggle, and the peasant movements of colonial…
Gas crisis will take two years to resolve, commerce minister says
Commerce Minister Khandaker Abdul Muktadir has said resolving Bangladesh's gas crisis will require roughly two years to build the necessary infrastructure, blaming the shortage on the legacy of the previous government and outlining new…
Chuadanga farmers fear losses as input costs surge during aman season
Farmers in Chuadanga have begun planting transplanted aman rice amid favorable monsoon conditions, but soaring costs of diesel, fertilizer, pesticides, and labor have pushed per-bigha production expenses up by 4,000 to 5,000 taka, dampening…
Pineapple farmers in Mymensingh expect harvest worth Tk 125 crore
Pineapple farmers in Phulbaria upazila, Mymensingh, are expecting a bumper harvest this season, with production across 750 hectares projected to generate sales of Tk 125 crore (about $10.5 million).
South Korean potatoes are cooking in the ground as heat records fall
Farmers in Gangwon province dug up potatoes that had turned soft as though boiled, after weeks of record temperatures that have killed 31 people and 900,000 livestock.
Extreme heat is making Pakistan's date harvest punishing work
Workers in Sindh's Khairpur district, which grows more than half Pakistan's dates, say temperatures above 40C are making the harvest unbearable, with heatstroke and fainting common.
Moulvibazar farmer strikes it rich growing passion fruit on the plains
Saleh Ahmad of Kamalganj, Moulvibazar, has found striking success growing passion fruit — known locally as 'Anarkali' — becoming the first to farm it commercially on the plains.
Thailand wants to recruit Bangladeshi workers
A Thai delegation told Bangladesh's labour minister that Thailand is interested in an agreement to recruit Bangladeshi workers, while raising concerns about visas, transit and trafficking.
Banned Awami League affiliate Krishak League leader arrested in Jhenaidah
Police arrested Abbas Uddin, president of the banned Awami League's Krishak League unit in Maheshpur, in a 2024 explosives and sabotage case.
After Gen Z, Gen Alpha protests in India
Students in India's Uttar Pradesh walked about 5 kilometres with parents and villagers to demand a paved road to their schools, saying monsoon flooding makes the existing road impassable.
India begins official collection of cow urine at Rs20 per litre
Uttar Pradesh has launched a pilot project to collect cow urine from farmers in 15 villages of Bulandshahr, with plans to pay Rs20 per litre in the future.
Indian farmer buries 5 lakh rupees, finds it a year later — eaten by termites
A farmer in Rajasthan, India, buried 5 lakh rupees in his field to prevent theft, forgot where, and found it about a year later — shredded by termites and refused by the bank.
Fertiliser dealerships to drop the BCIC-BADC divide under revised policy
The agriculture ministry has ordered a revised 2025 fertiliser-dealer policy that scraps the separate BCIC and BADC dealerships for a single, unified system and abolishes the sub-dealer network.