Farmers blocked the Dhaka-Rajshahi highway at Baneshwar in Puthia upazila, Rajshahi, demanding fertilizer.
Hundreds of local farmers took part in the blockade starting around 10 a.m. Monday (Sept. 7), halting vehicle movement for more than an hour.
Farmers in Puthia have been struggling for the past two months amid an artificial fertilizer shortage. Even at the peak of the rice-growing season, farmers in the area are unable to get fertilizer at fair prices. Buying fertilizer at the government-set price has become nearly impossible for farmers. TSP and DAP fertilizers are simply unavailable at dealers — the stock appears to vanish before it even reaches them. Adequate quantities are only available from retail dealers who charge higher prices.
Farmers say they cannot buy fertilizer at the government-set market price. The government-fixed prices are 20 taka per kilogram for potash, 27 taka for urea and TSP, and 21 taka for DAP. Yet, for reasons unknown, after passing through dealers and sub-dealers, TSP is being sold at pesticide shops for 60 taka per kilogram, DAP for 50 taka, and MOP for 30 taka. Even there, farmers find themselves at the mercy of sellers, who impose a condition that pesticides must be purchased along with the fertilizer.
Abdus Salam, a farmer who took part in the blockade, said, “I planted transplanted aman paddy on four bighas, but I can’t properly cultivate it because of the fertilizer shortage. There’s no fertilizer available when I go to the dealers.”
Farmer Abul Hossain said, “Farmers won’t be able to profit from paddy cultivation because of the fertilizer shortage. There’s no fertilizer available from dealers. But if you pay double, you can get it from pesticide sellers.”
Meanwhile, upon learning of the farmers’ blockade in Baneshwar, upazila administration officials and law enforcement arrived at the scene and assured farmers that fertilizer would be distributed at fair prices, after which the farmers lifted the blockade.
Upazila agriculture officer Smriti Rani Sarkar said, “There is no fertilizer shortage in our upazila. Adequate quantities are allocated every month. However, demand rises during the paddy-growing season.”
Asked why fertilizer wasn’t available at dealers while it was all reportedly with pesticide sellers, she declined to comment.