An acute fertiliser crisis has left the farmers in distress across the southwest region of the country, threatening production shortfall this year. But the agriculture ministry confirmed that there is no shortage of fertiliser in the country. Recently Agriculture Minister Dr M Abdur Razzaque warned of tougher action against those who would be found involve in creating artificial crisis of fertilizer.
At present, the stock of urea fertiliser is 6.45 lakh tonnes, 3.94 lakh tonnes of TSP, 7.36 lakh tonnes of DAP and 2.73 lakh tonnes of MOP. The current stock of fertiliser is higher than that of the same period last year. But the fact is that farmers are not getting fertilisers as organised syndicates are doing everything to create artificial crisis.
Bangladesh Agriculture Development Corporporation (BADC) has imported sufficient fertiliser including MOP from Canada and other countries to meet its required demand for 7.5 lakh tonnes to produce rice and other crops for the current fiscal year. It has also sanctioned MOP fertiliser to every district while agriculture extension departments of the districts are waiting to distribute this agriculture input to the dealers. But the regional godowns have not received the MOP fertiliser yet. As there is no MOP fertiliser in the regional godowns, BADC could not distribute the fertiliser to the dealers.
All the
stakeholders should extend
all-out
support and cooperation
to the farmers
The dealers alleged that centring transportation of fertilisers, an organised transport syndicate is not supplying the fertilisers to the regional godowns in southwest district like Kushtia, Meherpur and Chuadanga applying various tricks. They have taken full control over the fertiliser market in order to create artificial crisis. It has been noticed that the dealers are selling fertilisers to the farmers at their respective shops mostly situated in town instead of villages. The dealers are charging more than the subsidised rate under the very nose of the authorities concerned.
The deputy commissioners and field level officials of department of agricultural extension must intensify supervision and monitor fertiliser distribution system to avoid any crisis. Also immediate action should be taken against the transport syndicate, dealers and middlemen involved in such immoral and unethical activities that may hit the country’s agriculture production. The agriculture, food and the industries ministries should work in unison so that the farmers can get sufficient fertiliser on time and buy them at fair prices. Apart from the three ministries, the home and commerce ministries also have the responsibility to protect the farmers from the greedy dealers and take strict action against those who are trying to create an alrtificial crisis by stockpiling fertilisers. Last but not least, all the stakeholders should extend all-out support and cooperation to the farmers.