The Ministry of Agriculture has set up a Fertiliser Management Control Room to keep round-the-clock watch on the supply, stocks, transport, distribution and retail sale of fertiliser, reachable on 050351. It has also issued 14 directives to its officers, dealers and farmers so that any problem or irregularity in the field is dealt with quickly. The order, signed by Md Maksudul Islam, deputy secretary of the ministry's Administration-1 branch, was issued on 10 September.

Under the order the control room operates from Room 528 of the ministry until further notice. Twenty-seven teams have been formed, each with an officer, an administrative officer and an office assistant. From 11 to 24 September the room runs in two shifts, 8 am to 3 pm and 3 pm to 10 pm, under the overall supervision of the additional secretary for fertiliser management and inputs.

The 14 directives require the teams to keep regular records of supply, stocks, transport and distribution from every district and upazila; to alert the relevant authority at once to any irregularity in transit, artificial shortage, illegal stockpiling, black marketing, overcharging or diversion; to identify on a priority basis any district or upazila where a shortage threatens and recommend action; to receive complaints from farmers, dealers and transporters, forward them to the responsible office and follow their resolution; and to coordinate with the district administration and the agriculture department in emergencies.

They must also log the daily situation, complaints and actions in a set format and prepare daily and weekly reports; draw the responsible officer's attention immediately to supply disruptions, transport or storage problems or dealer-level irregularities; verify any fertiliser report appearing on social media, in newspapers, on television or online by contacting the district, upazila or union level; record complaints arriving by telephone, mobile, e-mail or WhatsApp; hand over information properly at each change of shift; and follow whatever further instructions senior authority issues on fertiliser monitoring.

On Sunday afternoon two officers were on duty in the room. Akhtarunnahar, joint secretary of the international cooperation branch, said two complaints from dealers had come in by 2 pm and were being written up; Mosa Susmita Islam, deputy secretary in the same branch, said the control room had started work on Saturday.

From a Protidiner Bangladesh report. Source: Protidiner Bangladesh