Fertiliser hoarding, diversion, overpricing hit farmers as drives intensify

A nationwide crackdown on fertiliser irregularities has exposed a troubling gap between government allocations and supplies reaching farmers, with raids across the country uncovering illegal stockpiling, diversion of subsidised fertiliser, overpricing and suspected black marketing.

The administration has intensified its crackdown on unscrupulous traders allegedly attempting to create an artificial fertiliser shortage at the grassroots level, profiteer from the situation and put the government in an embarrassing position.

A review of enforcement operations between 1 and 28 August found dozens of cases in more than 20 districts, with several thousand sacks of fertiliser seized or recovered and mobile courts imposing fines and jail terms on a number of traders.

The crackdown has intensified as farmers in several districts complain that they cannot obtain fertiliser from authorised dealers and are being forced to buy it from open-market retailers at inflated prices.

On 4 August, five sacks of fertiliser were recovered during a drive in Teknaf, Cox’s Bazar. On 12 August, a total of 293 sacks were seized during a drive in Char Fasson, Bhola. On 14 August, 12 sacks were seized in Paba, Rajshahi.

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Between 18 and 20 August, a total of 1,244 sacks were seized during multiple drives in Godagari, Rajshahi. On 18 August, authorities also seized 42 sacks, including 34 sacks of TSP and eight sacks of DAP, in Puthia, Rajshahi.

Between 23 and 25 August, authorities recovered 122 sacks from a dealer’s warehouse in Bhurungamari, Kurigram, after farmers took away 197 sacks.

On 24 August, a total of 636 sacks, including 391 sacks of urea, 160 sacks of DAP and 85 sacks of MOP, were seized during a drive in Ishwarganj, Mymensingh. The same day, 410 sacks were seized in Sadar upazila of Chapainawabganj.

On 25 August, authorities seized 37 sacks during a drive in Chougachha, Jashore, while 558 sacks of MOP were recovered from two dealer warehouses in the Dinajpur-Thakurgaon area.

Between 25 and 26 August, 72 sacks were seized during a drive in Sadullapur, Gaibandha. On 26 August, authorities seized 271 sacks, weighing 13.55 tonnes, in Chougachha, Jashore, and 669 sacks during separate drives in Sadar and Kaharol upazilas of Dinajpur.

On 27 August, 40 sacks of subsidised DAP fertiliser were seized during a drive in Dewanganj, Jamalpur. On 28 August, authorities seized 80 sacks of DAP during a drive in Sadar upazila of Magura.

Agriculture ministry Secretary Salim Khan told the Daily Sun that some fertiliser dealers are engaging in activities aimed at putting the government in an uncomfortable position. 

“The situation is not exactly the same everywhere; the scenario varies from place to place. But overall, there is a conspiracy to put the government in a difficult position. We will not allow such a conspiracy to succeed,” he said.

He said fertiliser allocations had been made and dealers had received their allocations, but some had failed to lift the fertiliser from warehouses as required.

“They have taken the allocation but have not lifted the fertiliser. They have kept it in the warehouses without lifting it,” he said.

“Such practices have been identified in 15 districts in the Rajshahi and Rangpur divisions. We have identified the matter and instructed the district fertiliser, seed and monitoring committees to take action against those responsible,” Salim Khan said.

Some of the most serious cases have emerged in the northern districts.

In Jamalpur, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) recovered 40 sacks of DAP fertiliser meant for distribution under the government’s agricultural subsidy programme from a shop at Kauniachar Bazar in Dangdhara Union of Dewanganj upazila on Thursday morning.

A trader, identified as Md Hasan Basri, 34, owner of Messrs Rahman Enterprise, was detained in connection with the incident.

In Dinajpur, authorities uncovered the alleged illegal sale of around 227 tonnes of fertiliser from a BADC warehouse in Nashipur without approval. Storekeeper Md Aktarul Islam was arrested and the warehouse was sealed.

The fertiliser was allegedly sold to two BADC-contracted dealers. In separate raids, authorities subsequently seized 450 sacks of MOP from one dealer’s warehouse and another 108 sacks from two warehouses belonging to another dealer.

The seized sacks bore BADC seals, although authorities could not immediately establish whether all 558 sacks were part of the 227 tonnes allegedly sold from the government warehouse.

The case has raised questions not only about private dealers but also about controls within the government distribution system.

Dinajpur was also the scene of another major crackdown in which 669 sacks were seized in two operations. In Kaharole alone, authorities recovered 309 sacks of TSP, 96 sacks of urea and 47 sacks of MOP. Traders were punished with jail terms and fines.

In Mymensingh’s Ishwarganj, authorities found around 600 sacks of fertiliser illegally stockpiled. In Jashore’s Chougachha, a mobile court seized 13,550kg of fertiliser worth Tk3.53 lakh from a trader operating without a valid licence. The seized fertiliser was ordered to be sold to farmers at the government-fixed price.

The enforcement campaign has also exposed alleged diversion of fertiliser from one designated area to another.

Four distributors in four Rajshahi upazilas were fined a total of Tk85,000 for allegedly diverting fertiliser allocated for one area to another. Two distributors in Jashore were separately fined Tk10,500 on 2 August for allegedly selling fertiliser at higher prices.

The government maintains that imports are continuing and that stock figures should be viewed alongside incoming shipments and ongoing domestic production.

However, the gap between allocation and actual distribution remains a major concern, with ministry data also revealing significant weaknesses in the distribution chain.

According to a Ministry of Agriculture review, 279,412 tonnes of urea were allocated for August, but only 149,612 tonnes had been distributed to farmers by 20 August — just over half of the allocation. In some districts, the proportion was considerably lower.

In Gazipur, 1,876 tonnes of urea were allocated for August, but only 800 tonnes had been distributed by 20 August. Narsingdi received an allocation of 2,553 tonnes, against distribution of only 919 tonnes during the same period.

The situation was even more pronounced in the Mymensingh and Sylhet divisions. Of the 31,425 tonnes allocated to the four districts of Mymensingh division, only 9,992 tonnes had been lifted by 20 August. In Sylhet division, dealers had lifted just 2,679 tonnes against an allocation of 9,541 tonnes.