Farmers face fertiliser squeeze amid distribution failures

Infographic/TBS

Farmers are struggling to obtain fertiliser during the Aman season, with reports of inflated prices despite the government insisting that national stocks are adequate.

Farmers in several districts said fertiliser was unavailable at designated dealer points, forcing them to buy from open markets reportedly at prices Tk300-350 higher per 50kg sack.

The situation appears to be driven more by distribution problems than a shortage.

Agriculture officials have blamed some dealers and field-level officials for irregularities, including failure to collect allocated fertiliser and alleged diversion to open markets.

The government yesterday (25 August) also formed a cabinet committee on fertiliser affairs to strengthen coordination with the agriculture ministry. The committee will monitor fertiliser collection, distribution and dealer appointment nationwide and provide necessary advice.

Prime Minister's Information Adviser Zahed Ur Rahman yesterday said there was no overall fertiliser shortage, but acknowledged distribution problems in some areas.

Zahed said the country has 13.65 lakh tonnes of fertiliser in stock, including 4.82 lakh tonnes of urea, 3.69 lakh tonnes of TSP, 3.68 lakh tonnes of DAP and 1.46 lakh tonnes of MOP.

Meanwhile, the government on Monday approved imports of another 365,000 tonnes of fertiliser at a cost of about Tk2,562 crore. The consignment includes 80,000 tonnes of urea, 115,000 tonnes of MOP, 80,000 tonnes of DAP and 60,000 tonnes of TSP.

The government-fixed retail prices are Tk1,350 per 50kg bag of urea and TSP, Tk1,050 for DAP, and Tk1,000 for MOP.

TBS has found a mixed picture across districts, with some areas reporting adequate stocks while farmers elsewhere struggle to obtain fertiliser or are paying above the fixed prices.

Prices high in Jashore, Bogura, Naogaon, Lakshmipur

In Jashore, Md Abdul Alim, 58, of Narangali village in Jhikargachha, said he bought 20kg of TSP from the open market at Tk52 per kg and two bags of urea at Tk1,500 each.

"The seedlings are 20 days old and it is time to apply TSP, but I can't find any," he said.

At Nawapara, one of the country's largest fertiliser trading hubs, Tunisian TSP was selling for Tk2,000-2,500, while Egyptian and Moroccan TSP were priced at Tk1,700 and Tk1,750 respectively. Jordanian DAP sold for Tk1,650 and Chinese DAP for Tk1,550, while MOP was Tk1,050-1,100.

Bogura farmers also reported widespread overpricing. TSP priced at Tk1,350 officially was selling for Tk1,700-1,800, while DAP was costing at least Tk1,600. Urea was being sold for Tk1,400 against the official Tk1,350.

District authorities said stocks were sufficient. As of August 24, Bogura had 13,891 tonnes of distributable urea, 3,393 tonnes of TSP, 5,711 tonnes of MOP and 5,265 tonnes of DAP.

In Naogaon, BADC dealer Rafiqul Islam said farmers could not obtain all types of fertiliser from nearby dealers because BADC dealers received only DAP, MOP and TSP. He called for equal allocations between BADC and BCIC dealers.

In Lakshmipur, farmers reported urea was selling for Tk30-33 per kg, while TSP cost Tk38. BADC TSP was priced at Tk1,700-1,800, and DAP at Tk1,650-1,700.

Md Zahir Ahmed, deputy director of the district agriculture extension office, said Lakshmipur had 1,000 tonnes of urea, 250 tonnes of TSP, 355 tonnes of MOP and 380 tonnes of DAP in stock for August.

Normal supplies in Brahmanbaria, Khulna

The picture is different in Brahmanbaria and Khulna. Brahmanbaria has maintained normal supplies despite the closure of Ashuganj Fertiliser Factory for about 18 months because of a gas shortage. The factory currently has 35,000 tonnes in stock, while imported fertiliser and supplies from other factories are meeting demand.

Authorities, however, have detected attempts to move fertiliser outside the district. On August 20, officials seized nine bags of fertiliser allegedly being sent to Satkhira's Shyamnagar without proper invoices.

Officials said monitoring had been strengthened to prevent diversion and ensure that fertiliser reaches farmers at government-set prices.

Cumilla has no immediate fertiliser shortage, but supplies have declined. Md Mizanur Rahman, deputy director of the Department of Agricultural Extension in Cumilla, said, "Even without new consignments, existing stocks are meeting demand. We are conducting regular inspections and will take action against anyone found hoarding fertiliser."

TBS correspondents in Jashore, Cumilla, Bogura, Naogaon, Lakshmipur, Brahmanbaria, and Khulna have contributed to this report.