Govt says fertiliser stocks adequate, opposition blames mismanagement 

The country has no fertiliser shortage and will have a surplus of 1.584 million tonnes against demand during the upcoming Rabi and Boro seasons, State Minister for Local Government Mir Shahe Alam told parliament yesterday (9 September).

Demand for urea, TSP, DAP and MOP from October to February 2027 is projected at 3.587 million tonnes, against a prepared supply of 5.171 million tonnes. "So, there is no reason for farmers to panic over fertiliser," he said.

Opposition lawmakers, however, disputed the assessment, saying adequate stocks on paper are not reaching farmers when needed. They blamed dealer irregularities, artificial shortages, black-market sales and poor management.

Govt cites supply, production

State Minister for Commerce Md Shariful Islam said the government is maintaining production, imports and buffer stocks to ensure uninterrupted supplies.

In the current fiscal year, 2,08,799 tonnes of urea have been produced and 1,17,899 tonnes imported, while 5,30,925 tonnes have been distributed and 409,000 tonnes remain in stock, he said.

Production at several factories has been suspended due to gas and raw-material shortages. However, the Ghorashal-Palash and Shahjalal Fertiliser plants are operating normally, while Chattogram Urea Fertiliser is expected to resume production soon.

'Fertiliser exists, proper management does not': Jamaat MP

Jamaat MP Shafiqul Islam said the main problem was poor management, not stocks. Citing media reports, he said farmers are struggling to buy fertiliser at fair prices. In Joypurhat, dealers are allegedly charging Tk300-Tk400 more per bag, with some farmers paying Tk500-Tk800 above the official price.

He also alleged that Tk10-Tk12 lakh is being traded for dealer appointments, with a syndicate bypassing lists prepared by local administrations or elected representatives.

Citing illegal stockpiles seized in Kurigram and an incident in which farmers broke into a warehouse, Shafiqul said field-level supplies were far from normal. He warned that failure to ensure supplies before Boro could revive a situation similar to the BNP's previous government.

Jamaat MP Md Mahbubul Alam said farmers in his constituency are buying fertiliser on the black market despite adequate government stocks.

He criticised the removal of MPs from fertiliser and seed monitoring committees. MPs had served on district- and upazila-level committees since 2009, but a 27 August circular removed all 349 MPs, he said.

Mahbubul proposed replacing the dealer system with an open market, creating union-based digital demand maps, distributing fertiliser through farmers' digital IDs using OTP or QR codes, and digitally tracking supplies.

Govt blames dealer gaps

Mir Shahe Alam said around 3,759 dealers appointed under the previous government were absconding, leaving dealer points vacant. The government plans to appoint around 4,918 new dealers.

Between 29 August and 6 September, 204 mobile courts took action in 22 fertiliser-related incidents, imposing Tk35 lakh in fines. He said MPs need not be on monitoring committees, as dealers should distribute fertiliser under existing rules.

State Minister for Fisheries and Livestock Sultan Salahuddin Tuku said there is no shortage and dismissed allegations of corruption over new dealership applications.