Fertiliser shortage claims grow despite govt claim of adequate stocks

Infographic/TBS

Farmers in several northern districts are struggling to obtain fertiliser during the peak Aman cultivation season, with many alleging that dealers and retailers are selling fertiliser at prices well above government-set rates.

The government, however, maintains that the country has sufficient fertiliser stocks to meet demand and has dismissed reports of a nationwide shortage. Local officials and dealers claim that farmers are panic buying, while local administrations are monitoring the situation and operating mobile courts to prevent hoarding, artificial shortages and overpricing.

DAP, TSP supply conundrum

The conflicting claims have emerged as farmers in Rajshahi, Kurigram and Naogaon report shortages of key non-urea fertilisers, particularly DAP and TSP.

In Rajshahi, farmers have been visiting dealers' warehouses repeatedly but often returning without fertiliser. Some warehouses are closed, while others are selling fertiliser through the open market at significantly higher prices.

Government-set prices put TSP at Tk1,350 per sack, but farmers say it is being sold for around Tk2,000 in the open market. DAP, which is supposed to sell for Tk1,050, is being sold for Tk1,400, while MOP fertiliser priced at Tk1,000 through dealers is being sold at around Tk1,350 in outside shops.

The shortage prompted farmers in Baneshwar, Rajshahi, to block the Rajshahi-Natore highway for about an hour on Monday, protesting what they described as an artificial fertiliser crisis and demanding increased allocations. More than 100 farmers from surrounding areas took part in the demonstration.

Farmers said the lack of fertiliser was making it difficult to cultivate crops and raising concerns about production.

"DAP and TSP fertiliser are in severe shortage. We are not getting these fertilisers. The allocation of these two types of fertiliser needs to be increased," said Azizul Islam, a farmer from Baneshwar.

Azim Uddin, a farmer from Haripur Union in Paba upazila, said DAP and TSP were unavailable through regular channels, forcing farmers to buy them at higher prices from open-market shops.

Dealers have also called for higher allocations to ease the situation. They have urged authorities to strengthen monitoring so that fertiliser allocated for agricultural land is not diverted to the fisheries sector.

Despite the complaints, Rajshahi Divisional Commissioner Yusuf Ali said there was no fertiliser crisis in the district.

After inspecting a Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC) fertiliser warehouse in Naodapara on Tuesday, he said government warehouses had sufficient quantities of both urea and non-urea fertiliser.

According to him, BCIC (Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation) buffer warehouses had 9,804 tonnes of urea, 430 tonnes of TSP and 85.5 tonnes of DAP in stock. BADC warehouses had another 6,312 tonnes of TSP, 801 tonnes of MOP and 4,348 tonnes of DAP.

The commissioner said the current monthly allocation of TSP for the district was 1,045 tonnes, against stocks of around 6,300 tonnes. Similarly, the monthly urea allocation was 5,700 tonnes, while one warehouse alone held around 10,000 tonnes.

"There is no crisis of fertiliser. Fertiliser is being regularly supplied to dealers according to the allocation of the agriculture ministry, and they are selling it through their shops," Yusuf Ali said.

He attributed the reported crisis partly to what he described as misleading information circulating outside.

Farmers in Kurigram report difficulty getting supplies

A similar disagreement has emerged in Kurigram, where farmers say they are unable to obtain fertiliser according to their needs, while agricultural officials and dealers say some farmers are buying more than they require because of fears of future shortages.

Rasheda Begum, a farmer from Sonahat Union in Bhurungamari, said she had been searching for TSP for several days before finally obtaining one sack.

She said her husband and son had previously gone to dealers but returned empty-handed.

Another farmer, Nuruzzaman of the same union, said farmers were initially being given one sack each, but later five farmers were grouped together to receive a single sack.

"I need urea and DAP, but they are giving TSP. The fertiliser needed for the field has to be provided. But I am not getting even half of what I need," he said.

In response to pressure at dealer points, the Kurigram district administration increased the number of distribution centres from Wednesday. The district administration said there was sufficient fertiliser in stock and warned farmers against panic buying and hoarding.

The administration also warned that legal action would be taken against anyone found illegally stockpiling fertiliser, spreading rumours or attempting to create an artificial shortage.

Kurigram DAE Deputy Director Abdullah Al Mamun said there was sufficient fertiliser based on area-specific monthly demand.

He said farmers were attempting to buy and store fertiliser ahead of the Rabi season because they feared shortages during maize, potato and winter vegetable cultivation.

"There is no possibility of a fertiliser shortage. Allocations will be increased further in October and November ahead of the Rabi season," he said.

Naogaon farmers also complain

Farmers in Naogaon have raised similar complaints.

Moinuddin, a farmer from Utragram in Mahadebpur upazila who has cultivated six bighas of rice for 40 years, said farming had become increasingly difficult.

He said rice prices were low and fertiliser was also difficult to obtain, alleging that dealers were withholding supplies and selling them at higher prices.

Another farmer, Md Bidyut Hossain, questioned how fertiliser could be available at higher prices in retail markets if there was a shortage.

He called for stronger monitoring of dealers and fertiliser traders.

However, Naogaon DAE Deputy Director Md Manzur Rahman said there was no actual fertiliser shortage. According to him, demand for fertilisers other than urea was currently lower, while urea was available.

Farmers panic buying, dealers say

Dealers in Rajshahi and Rangpur divisions said there was no shortage severe enough to justify looting and panic buying.

Earlier on 23 August, a group of farmers broke into a fertiliser dealer's warehouse and took away 197 sacks of urea in Bhurungamari upazila of Kurigram district   amid fears of a shortage.

A fertiliser dealer in Bhurungamari, Shahin Ahmed, said the problem was not allocation but panic among farmers.

"There's no crisis with fertiliser allocation. The crisis is in farmers' minds. If everyone remains patient and takes fertiliser according to the government allocation, there will be no problem," he said.

Khulna has stocks, but diversion raises concern

In Khulna, agriculture officials say the district currently has more fertiliser than its immediate demand.

According to August data from the Department of Agricultural Extension, the district had 4,336 tonnes of urea, TSP, DAP and MOP combined. The stock included 1,561 tonnes of urea, 1,386 tonnes of TSP, 883 tonnes of DAP and 506 tonnes of MOP.

Khulna DAE Deputy Director Md Nazrul Islam said the available stock exceeded demand and that the situation was being monitored regularly.

Yet authorities recently detected an attempt to send fertiliser from Khulna to neighbouring Satkhira, highlighting concerns over distribution.

On 20 August, agriculture officials seized nine sacks of fertiliser at Kacharibari Bazar in North Bedkashi Union of Koyra upazila while they were allegedly being transported to another district without a proper memo.

A mobile court led by Assistant Commissioner (Land) and Executive Magistrate Shraboni Biswas fined the owner of Messrs Adhikari Traders, Prabhash Adhikari, Tk10,000.

Farmer Hanif Morol of Dumuria upazila in Khulna said, "Urea and other fertilisers are available according to our needs. We are also not facing any major problems in getting fertiliser from dealers."

Govt says fertiliser stocks adequate, admits dealer gaps

The issue also reached parliament on 9 September, where the government again rejected claims of a national fertiliser shortage while admitting distribution gaps.

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

The government also identified dealer shortages as a factor behind distribution problems. State Minister for Local Government Mir Shahe Alam said around 3,759 dealers appointed under the Awami League government were absconding, leaving many dealer points vacant. The government plans to appoint around 4,918 new dealers.

Between 29 August and 6 September, mobile courts took action in 22 fertiliser-related incidents, with 204 operations resulting in Tk35 lakh in fines, he said.

Several fertiliser factories have suspended production because of gas and raw-material shortages. However, the Ghorashal-Palash and Shahjalal fertiliser plants are operating normally, while the Chattogram Urea Fertiliser factory is expected to resume production soon.

Our correspondents Khorshed Alam in Bogura, Awal Sheikh in Khulna and Bulbul Habib in Rajshahi contributed to this report.