The chamber court has stayed a High Court order that had imposed a status quo on the integrated policy covering the appointment of fertiliser dealers and the distribution of fertiliser. The chamber judge of the Appellate Division passed the order on Wednesday, 7 October, on an application by the state.
The order clears the way for dealer appointments to proceed under the new policy. One of its central provisions is that more than one person from the same family may not become a fertiliser dealer.
The state argued that the 2009 policy had allowed several members of one family to hold fertiliser dealerships. That opening let multiple dealerships accumulate in the hands of single families in many areas.
For farmers this matters directly. Where one family holds several dealerships, a large share of the allocation at union or upazila level concentrates in a few hands, and at the peak of the season a farmer has less room to bargain over supply or price.
Demand for fertiliser rises together during the aman crop and the winter cropping season. Complaints about DAP and TSP not arriving on time have been reported from several districts this season, so removing the legal uncertainty around the dealer appointment policy is also a relief for the agriculture department.
The main case on the policy is still before the court. The chamber court's order has only stayed the High Court's status quo.
Source: Protidiner Sangbad
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