Farmers clash for fertiliser, chase dealers, officials
Irri-Boro and cash crops like potato and vegetables are being affected in fields because this is the prime time to apply fertiliser, farmers said.
The crisis, allegedly created by a section of unscrupulous dealers and traders, have pushed up prices. A 50-kg bag of urea now sells at between Tk 450 and Tk 500 against the official rate of Tk 299, TSP at between Tk 800 and Tk 900 against Tk 680 and DAP at Tk 1200 against Tk 950, farmers said.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. The Directorate of Agriculture Extension (DAE) in Rajshahi informed the National Fertiliser Monitoring Committee in Dhaka of the crisis and sought immediate steps to ease the problem, Rajshahi DAE deputy director Rabindra Kumar Majumder told this correspondent.
He also said all field level DAE officials were alerted to check black marketing of fertiliser but this helped little to ease the situation.
But dealers at a press conference at Rajshahi Press Club on Saturday shifted the blame on 'illegally employed' dealers by Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation (BCIC). Most of the illegally employed dealers are not traditional businessman and they are engaged in black marketing of fertiliser, they alleged.
Most of the 89 BCIC dealers in Rajshahi were employed under political influence by the immediate past government, they alleged.
Untoward incidents took place in many areas in Rajshahi in last one week over fertiliser crisis.
On Friday, DAE official Alamgir Hossain in charge of fertiliser supervision in Durgapur upazila escaped farmers' wrath taking shelter at the local police station when several hundred farmers chased him failing to procure fertiliser.
Later in afternoon, Durgapur Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Zebunnesa Sultana seized three rickshaw vans loaded with some 50 bags of urea in Shinga Beel area.
On Thursday, about 50 people were injured in Kesarhat in Mohonpur upazila in clashes as police were trying to control farmers scrambling for fertiliser.
On Sunday, dealer Anwar Hossain in Mohonpur took shelter at the UNO office when farmers laid a siege to his godown, hearing that he had stored fertiliser.
When farmers swooped on the UNO office, the UNO calmed them down by compelling the dealer to sell fertiliser at official rates.
After the incident most of the dealers and retailers disappeared closing their shops in Mohonpur upazila headquarters, locals said.
On the same day, several hundred farmers staged a demonstration at neighbouring Tanore and Durgapur upazila headquarters for fertiliser.
They submitted memorandums to the local UNOs.
However, BCIC officials in Rajshahi claimed that the crisis resulted following no supply of urea from Ghorasal Fertiliser Factory for last two months.
Fertiliser dealer Shafiq Haq in Kesarhat said many dealers like him paid money in advance but BCIC failed to supply urea.
Potato grower Shantu Mia of Durgapur said, he managed only three bags of urea against a need for 30 for cultivating potato on 17 bighas of land.
Farmer Afaz Uddin of Mohonpur alleged that dealers and retailers demand higher prices on plea of crisis. "Most of the godowns of dealers are full of fertilisers but whenever we go they say they do not have fertiliser. They sell those in black market", he alleged.