Angry farmers broke down the fence and door of a dealer’s warehouse in Bandaber union, Roumari upazila, Kurigram, and took fertilizer themselves after distribution was delayed. The incident occurred Monday morning at the warehouse of Messrs. Mita Hasan Enterprise at Bandaber Bazar.
The dealer claims 100 to 150 sacks of urea fertilizer were taken from the warehouse. However, Roumari upazila agriculture officer Mahbubul Alam Bosunia denied the allegation that fertilizer was looted, saying the video circulating showing fertilizer being looted is fake and that no such incident occurred in Bandaber union. He said there are 42,000 farmers in Roumari upazila and all of them are receiving fertilizer properly. On the same day, farmers in Bhurungamari blocked a road, alleging they were not getting the fertilizer they needed, briefly confining the upazila agriculture officer during the protest.
Several local farmers said fertilizer distribution had been scheduled at Bandaber Bazar that day. Farmers began lining up in front of the warehouse from 2 a.m. But when distribution still had not begun by morning, anger grew among them. Between about 9 and 10 a.m., several farmers broke down the warehouse’s tin fence and door, entered, and took fertilizer.
A video that circulated on social media shows several farmers breaking the warehouse’s fence and door and taking out fertilizer, some carrying sacks on their heads and others loading them onto vans. Police later arrived at the scene and brought the situation under control, but the fertilizer that was taken was not recovered. Saiful Islam, manager of Messrs. Mita Hasan Enterprise, told reporters the warehouse held 750 sacks of fertilizer. He said nearly 1,000 farmers lined up that morning to collect fertilizer, and when pushing and shoving broke out over who would get fertilizer first, staff went to the police station and the upazila executive officer’s (UNO) office to manage the situation. Farmers took advantage of the moment to break down the warehouse’s fence and door and take away 100 to 150 sacks of fertilizer.
Saiful Islam said the remaining fertilizer in the warehouse is being distributed with police assistance. He said the exact number of sacks taken would only be confirmed once the distribution accounting is complete.
Kawsar Ali, officer-in-charge of Roumari police station, said police were not informed when fertilizer distribution began in the morning. The agriculture department reported that angry farmers took several sacks of fertilizer during the confusion. Police were later deployed to the scene.
Agriculture officer briefly confined in Bhurungamari
When fertilizer distribution began Monday morning in the Sonahat area of Bhurungamari upazila, farmers complained they weren’t getting the fertilizer they needed. At one point, they set a fire in the road and blocked it. When the upazila agriculture officer went to the scene after being informed, angry farmers confined him there. Police later arrived and rescued him.
Azim Uddin, officer-in-charge of Bhurungamari police station, said farmers have been protesting over fertilizer in some union of the upazila almost every day, sometimes blocking roads. Police have had to respond to these situations daily.
He said that if the agriculture department clearly communicated how much fertilizer is in stock and what farmers’ actual demand is, such problems would be reduced. He said the agriculture department says there is adequate fertilizer, yet farmers are blocking roads because they aren’t getting it, which is disrupting other police work.