Farmers in Chapainawabganj cannot get the fertiliser they need on time in the season for winter vegetables, onions, mustard and maize, Manab Zamin reports. There have been protests over irregular distribution, police and local administration have had to step in to control crowds at dealer points, and on Tuesday afternoon a scuffle broke out at Bandhan Traders, a dealer in Shahbazpur union of Shibganj.
Government figures say the country holds enough fertiliser. Talking to farmers, dealers and officials, the paper found three causes for the shortage: allocation that falls short, irregular management, and farmers applying more than their land needs for want of awareness.
For this fiscal year the district needs 42,749 tonnes of urea and has been allocated 39,103; TSP, 9,540 needed and 7,840 allocated; DAP, 40,393 and 34,580; MoP, 22,191 and 19,813. In all, 101,336 tonnes have been allocated against demand of 114,873, a shortfall of 13,537 tonnes. Fertiliser reaches farmers through 38 BADC dealers and 58 BCIC dealers.
Dealers say November's potato, onion and winter vegetable planting will need twice as much fertiliser, and advance buying by farmers is adding pressure; November's allocation has already been issued and will not end the shortage. They want a supplementary allocation and stock moved from areas with surplus to those short. One BCIC dealer in Sadar said his union needs at least 100 tonnes of DAP this season but received only 65 tonnes for October and November together. Akbar Hossain, district president of the Bangladesh Fertilizer Association, also said allocation is below demand.
An agricultural extension officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, said upazila officials send routine demand figures without checking in the field. Production of year-round mango, guava, malta and other fruit and crops has grown, cropping differs across the district's 45 unions, yet allocations are almost the same everywhere.
Md Atiqul Islam, deputy director of the Department of Agricultural Extension in Chapainawabganj, said there is no shortage and the district has been allocated what it asked for; farmers are also buying ahead for the next crop, and fear of not getting fertiliser is causing some disorder. Md Abdul Bari, state minister for public administration and food, said there is no fertiliser shortage in the country, stocks are sufficient, allocations will be made on demand, and the reasons for the shortage in Chapainawabganj will be looked into.
Reported by Faruk Ahmed Chowdhury, Chapainawabganj, Manab Zamin.
Photo: process plant of Urea Fertilizer Factory Limited, Palash, Mar11 / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Source: Manab Zamin
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