Fertiliser syndicate holds Chatmohar farmers hostage

CHATMOHAR, PABNA, Oct 30: Allegations have been raised that ordinary farmers in Chatmohar Upazila of Pabna, nourished by the Chalan Beel, have become hostage in the hands of a fertiliser syndicate. 

According to field sources, some dishonest fertiliser traders are trying to tarnish the image of the current government. At the same time, some dealers are not hanging the price list of fertiliser and are charging prices at will. There are allegations that since the beginning of the transplanted  Aman season, a few dishonest dealers have been stockpiling fertiliser and selling it at higher prices. There is a fear that a fertiliser crisis may appear in the upcoming Rabi crop season.

BNP leaders and others raised these allegations at the monthly meeting of the Chatmohar Upazila Law and Order Committee on Thursday.

The allegations state that some dealers have created an artificial crisis by stockpiling fertiliser. As a result, ordinary farmers are not getting fertiliser even after standing in line for hours. Consequently, they are being forced to leave their land fallow. Many are selling fertiliser in the black market. Not only that, if farmers do not take fertiliser they do not need, they are not being given the fertiliser they require. 

BNP leader Rabiul Karim Tarek, Shahadat Hossain, Majnur Rahman, Principal Abdur Rahim Kalu, Jamaat-e-Islami leader Asaduzzaman Mia, and District Chatra Dal Convener Fulchand Hossain Shamim, among others, spoke on the irregularities and syndicate in fertiliser.

The allegations reveal that dealers at Mirzapur of Nimaichara, Railbazar of Mulgrm, Bamangram Bazar of DB Village and Saratganj Bazar of Failjana in the upazila are creating an artificial crisis of fertiliser and stockpiling it in godowns and selling it at higher prices than the government-fixed rate. Allegations have been found against these dealers of stockpiling fertiliser allocated for farmers in godowns instead of supplying it to the market.
 
However, fertiliser is available if a higher price is paid. Among them are BCI dealer Abdus Salam Sarkar of Chatmohar Railbazar area, Masud and Mohammad Ali of Bamangram Bazar in DBgram Union, Yunus Ali of Saratganj Bazar and a dealer of Mirzapur. These fertiliser sellers have been alleged to have stockpiled hundreds of sacks of DAP, potash, MoP and urea fertiliser in their multiple godowns and created an artificial crisis of fertiliser in the area.

The government price of fertiliser is Tk 1,350 per sack of urea, Tk 1,050 for DAP, Tk 1,350 for TSP and Tk 1,000 per sack of potash. There are 12 BCI dealers, 17 BADC dealers and 69 retail fertiliser sellers in Chatmohar Upazila. Most of them are selling fertiliser at higher prices than the government rate. As a result, lakhs of taka are being snatched from farmers.

According to sources at the Upazila Agriculture Department, in the current season, transplanted Aman paddy has been cultivated on more land than the target in Chatmohar Upazila. The target was 7,760 hectares, and cultivation has taken place on 7,775 hectares. In the current month of October, 465 metric tons (mt) of urea fertiliser, 540 mt of DAP, 150 mt of TSP and 285 mt of potash have been allocated in Chatmohar. 

Multiple sources say that apart from government or allocated fertiliser, these dealers and retail sellers are buying fertiliser from neighbouring upazilas in the black market and stockpiling it in godowns. They are reducing supply to farmers and creating an artificial crisis in the market to sell at higher prices. A retail fertiliser seller, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that dealers are charging Tk 300 to Tk 500 more per sack than the government price, as a result of which retail fertiliser sellers in various markets are not getting fertiliser.

Chatmohar Upazila Agriculture Officer Agriculturist Kuntala Ghosh said there is no scope for selling fertiliser at a higher price. Monitoring is being carried out round the clock, and action is being taken whenever a complaint is received. She said she is having the matter of fertiliser sales by dealers and retail sellers monitored by the sub-assistant agriculture officers.

Following the allegations, the newly appointed Upazila Nirbahi Officer Khalid Hasan said at the meeting of the Upazila Law and Order Committee that every fertiliser seller must hang a price list. Steps will be taken to ensure a fair price for fertiliser as well as its balanced distribution. Monitoring will be strengthened and mobile courts will be conducted whenever a complaint is received.