Farmers break into dealer’s warehouse in Kurigram

KURIGRAM, Aug 23: Angered by alleged delays in fertiliser distribution, farmers have forced open a Kurigram dealer’s warehouse and took away around 10 tonnes of fertiliser, police have said.

The incident took place around 11am on Sunday at Shah Amanat Dealer Point, owned by Mukul Haji, in Shilkhuri Union of Bhurungamari Upazila, said Bhurungamari Police chief Azimuddin.

Following police intervention, 33 farmers returned 33 sacks of fertiliser. Efforts are under way to recover the remaining fertiliser.

Citing locals, police said that dealer Shah Amanat Traders owner Taifur Rahman Mukul had been allocated 1,320 sacks of urea fertiliser. Of those, 340 sacks were stored in the warehouse.

More than 200 farmers gathered at the dealer point on Sunday to buy fertiliser. But after waiting for a long time, they said the dealer kept making excuses instead of opening the outlet.

The farmers became agitated after being unable to purchase the fertiliser they needed on time despite having paid for it. Around 11am, they broke open the warehouse door and took away 197 sacks, each weighing 50kg, or a total of 9,850kg of fertiliser.

Bhurungamari Police chief Azimuddin said the demand for fertiliser in the union was around 4,000 sacks, while the total allocation was only 1,320 sacks. The amount actually collected by the dealer was even lower.
“However, the dealer was delaying the supply of fertiliser according to the farmers’ demand. Fearing that they would not get fertiliser, the farmers broke into the warehouse and took it away,” the officer said.

He said police arrived at the scene after receiving the news and brought the situation under control. Following police intervention, 33 farmers have already returned 33 sacks of fertiliser. Police are trying to recover the remaining sacks.

Upazila Agriculture Officer Abdul Jabbar said, “The demand for urea fertiliser in our Upazila for August was 680 tonnes. We received that amount, and distribution is also under way.”

Saying there was no shortage of urea fertiliser in the Upazila, he said, “This may have happened because of a misunderstanding with the farmers. The farmers carried out the incident out of panic.

“We are working to raise awareness among farmers and assuring them that there is no shortage of fertiliser. Efforts are under way to recover the remaining fertiliser that was taken away. We request everyone’s patience and cooperation.”
Several attempts were made to contact Shah Amanat Traders owner Taifur by phone for comment, but his mobile phone was found switched off.

Bhurungamari Upazila administrator (UNO) Amrito Debnath said, “Some unruly people spread panic and broke open the warehouse door before looting the fertiliser. Some of the fertiliser has been recovered and efforts are under way to recover the rest. Further action will be taken after an on-site inspection and discussions with those concerned.”-bdnews24