Fifteen fertiliser dealers in Sherpur have been sent to jail in a Special Powers Act case over the alleged black-market sale of Tk 140 million worth of state-allocated fertiliser.

Sixteen of the twenty accused sought bail at the Sherpur district and sessions judge's court on Tuesday afternoon. Judge Mohammad Zahirul Kabir granted bail to one and ordered the remaining fifteen into custody.

Local sources said a team led by Sadar upazila agriculture officer Nusrat Jahan inspected fertiliser dealers' shops on 24 June at New Market, Raghunath Bazar, the new bus stand and elsewhere in Sherpur Sadar.

The team seized the dealers' sales registers and cash memos. The case states that checking them against last season's allocations showed widespread irregularity.

The case was filed on 22 July by the Sherpur Sadar upazila agricultural extension officer.

The order comes while farmers in several districts are struggling for fertiliser in the current Aman season. When allocated fertiliser does not reach genuine farmers at the fixed price, production costs rise and the harvest itself is put at risk.

Source: Bangla Tribune