Fertiliser tensions are spreading across farming districts, with farmers blocking a major highway in Rajshahi and breaking into a dealer’s warehouse in Kurigram on Monday, exposing a widening gap between government assurances of adequate stocks and farmers’ claims that fertiliser is either unavailable or being sold at inflated prices.
In Kurigram alone, unrest has now surfaced in Roumari, Bhurungamari and Nageshwari, while around 300 farmers in Rajshahi blocked the Dhaka-Rajshahi highway for about an hour, demanding adequate supplies and action against what they described as a syndicate creating an artificial shortage.
The protests come at a critical stage of the Aman season, when farmers say delays in fertiliser application could affect crops.
Agriculture officials and dealers, however, insist there is no overall shortage -- raising questions over whether the crisis lies in national supply or in distribution, access and pricing at the local level.
The most dramatic scenes unfolded at a fertiliser dealer point in Roumari, Kurigram, where farmers who had gathered since early morning broke through the tin fence and entered the warehouse after distribution failed to begin on time.
Eyewitnesses said more than 100 sacks were taken away, some carried on farmers’ heads and others transported by autorickshaw and van. Videos of the incident circulated on social media.
Dealer manager Saiful Islam acknowledged that farmers broke into the warehouse and took fertiliser while staff had gone to seek assistance from the administration.
He said some sacks were later returned, abandoned beside the road or paid for.
According to him, 739 sacks were in the warehouse at the time and there was no shortage.
The local administration disputed descriptions of the incident as looting.
Roumari Upazila Nirbahi Officer Md Mahbubul Hasan said there had been some disorder but maintained that farmers queued to buy fertiliser and returned after law enforcement brought the situation under control.
Protests spread in Kurigram
Hours later, farmers demonstrated again in Bhurungamari, blocking a road with bamboo and setting it on fire after allegedly failing to obtain fertiliser.
The contradiction between farmers and officials was laid bare by Bhurungamari Police Station Officer-in-Charge Azim Uddin.
“Farmers have protested because they have not received fertilizer. The Agriculture Department says there is no shortage of fertilizer. But farmers say they are not receiving fertilizer. If there is fertilizer, why can’t farmers get it?” he said.
Kurigram Department of Agricultural Extension Deputy Director Abdullah Al Mamun insisted supplies were sufficient for seasonal demand.
He suggested rumours were prompting some farmers to buy additional fertiliser in advance and said authorities were examining whether a third party could be fuelling the unrest.
Farmers take protest to highway
In Rajshahi, frustration brought traffic on the Dhaka-Rajshahi highway to a standstill.
Around 300 farmers blocked the highway at Baneshwar in Puthia at about 10am after waiting in queues for fertiliser.
Hundreds of vehicles were stranded before the blockade was withdrawn following assurances from the local administration.
Farmers alleged that dealers were telling them fertiliser was unavailable at government-set prices while supplies could be obtained from retailers by paying more.
“I have been roaming around Baneshwar market for three days. Dealers say there is no fertilizer. But fertilizer is available only if you secretly pay more money at the market’s retail shops,” farmer Abdur Rahim said.
Another farmer, Rafiqul Islam, said he had queued since 6am only to be told four hours later that stocks had run out.
The protesters alleged that an artificial shortage was being created despite government allocations and demanded supplies of urea, TSP and DAP at fixed prices.
Puthia Upazila Nirbahi Officer Liaquat Salman assured farmers that action would be taken against unscrupulous dealers and fertiliser would be made available at the government-set price.
Dealer Osman Ali rejected allegations of a shortage or manipulation, saying he still had 51 tons of urea in stock, although stocks of some non-urea fertilisers had declined.
The protests in separate districts point to a problem extending beyond headline stock figures.
While authorities repeatedly insist that Bangladesh has adequate fertiliser, farmers on the ground say getting it when needed, and at the government-set price, is becoming increasingly difficult.
With the Aman season under way, the emerging challenge is therefore not simply whether fertiliser exists in warehouses, but whether it is reaching farmers on time, in sufficient quantities and at the price set by the government.
