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Farmers across the country are facing growing difficulties irrigating their fields during the ongoing Boro season due to diesel shortages and rising fuel prices.
The crisis has been aggravated by global tensions, as the United States and Israel have been carrying out attacks on Iran since 28 February, with Iran retaliating. As the conflict spreads across several Middle Eastern countries and Iran closes the Strait of Hormuz, fears of a global fuel supply disruption have increased, raising concerns over abnormal price hikes in the international oil market.
Experts say diesel remains crucial for agricultural irrigation in Bangladesh. Without uninterrupted irrigation supplies, crop production could be seriously disrupted.
According to the Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC), the irrigation season generally runs from February to May. During this period, additional electricity is required for farming activities, while demand for fuel and gas also rises significantly. Fuel is widely used in oil-based power plants as well as in tractors, power tillers, and irrigation pumps operated by farmers.
However, many pump operators said that they are unable to buy diesel according to their needs, making it difficult to supply water to their fields. In some cases, farmers are forced to purchase diesel at higher
prices from the open market as petrol pumps deny to provide diesel in cans.
In Habiganj’s Madhabpur upazila, farmers have reportedly fallen into trouble after the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), following instructions from the district administration, directed filling stations not to sell loose diesel. BGB personnel have recently visited several filling stations and petrol pumps in the area to enforce the directive.
As a result, farmers who usually buy diesel in bottles or containers to operate irrigation pumps are facing serious difficulties. At present, Boro paddy cultivation is underway in the fields, while crops such as cucumbers and tomatoes also require regular irrigation. Farmers fear that if they cannot irrigate their lands on time, both paddy and vegetable crops could be damaged.
At the same time, the possibility of rising international oil prices and supply disruptions has created uncertainty about ensuring a normal diesel supply for farmers.
Rafiqul I. Mohamed, Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, told Daily Sun that they had held a meeting in this regard on Monday but no conclusion was reached.
Md Atiur, an elderly farmer from Gangni upazila of Meherpur said that he could not buy diesel from local pumps and had to purchase it from the open market at Tk120 per litre, although the official price is around Tk100 per litre.
He added that he had to return empty-handed after visiting a local filling station and eventually bought diesel at a higher price.
Many Boro farmers like him are now in serious trouble.
With uncertainties over fuel supply and rising demand during the irrigation season, keeping irrigation activities running smoothly has emerged as a new challenge for the government.
Boro is the primary crop, contributing 55% of the overall rice supply in the country, while the haor region will provide an additional 20% of the total rice produced in the Boro season.
This year, the government has set a target of producing 227.68 lakh tonnes from 50.54 lakh hectares of land in the country, according to the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE).
Commercial irrigation is needed in 90% of Boro cultivation and most of it is extracted from underground sources.
The reporter can be reached at: [email protected]
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