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Fertiliser shortage worries farmers in Habiganj


Published : 01 Oct 2021 09:25 PM | Updated : 02 Oct 2021 06:33 PM

In Lakhai upazila of Habiganj, the demand for fertilizer has increased during the Aman season. Due to the shortage of fertilizers in the region, farmers are facing trouble. They are being forced to buy fertilizer at extra cost to meet the need.

The government is giving free fertilizer to many farmers. Efforts are being made to ensure fair price of fertilizer across the country. 

But the locals do not like the silent role of the authorities in stopping the increase in the price of fertilizer in Lakhai area.

According to the Upazila Agriculture Extension Department, the government has fixed Tk 800 per 50 kg bag of urea fertilizer, Tk 1,100 per bag of triple super phosphate (TSP) and Tk 850 per bag of potash or MOP fertilizer.

 Although the target of cultivating 3,650 hectares of land has been set in Lakhai Upazila, there is a possibility of cultivating 4,000 hectares beyond the target due to favorable weather. Due to this the demand for all kinds of fertilizers has increased. It has been alleged that fertilizer dealers are taking advantage of the opportunity to increase demand.

Talking to farmers in different markets of the upazila including Bulla Bazar, Bamai Bazar, Lakhai Bazar, it has been learned that extra price has been charged for selling fertilizers.

Some farmers, including Abdul Hamid, Farid Mia Chowdhury, Shah Alam and Reju Mia, said many dealers were charging Tk 1,000 for urea fertilizer instead of Tk 800, Tk 1,350 for TSP instead of Tk 1,100 and Tk 1,000 for MOP fertilizer instead of Tk 750.

The farmers further said that the dealers are taking advantage of the weakness of the farmers as the stocks of fertilizers in Bangladesh Agriculture Development Corporation (BADC) are not in line with the demand. Many farmers are forced to buy fertilizer from unauthorized organizations. They are worried that Aman paddy cultivation will not be able to make much profit this time by adding all the expenses as the price of fertilizer is high.

In this regard, former Habiganj agriculture officer Birendra Lal Saha said, farmers are one of the driving forces of the country's economy. If they have to count the losses due to the increase in the price of fertilizers, then that is our ultimate failure. The concerned department has to make strong efforts in this regard.

When contacted, Lakhai Upazila Agriculture Officer-in-Charge Shakil Khandaker said, "Dealers are not being given fertilizer as per the demand due to insufficient allocation." However, market monitoring is being strengthened to curb inflation.

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