Reza Mahmud :
In the full season of Aman paddy planting, farmers are crying for getting sufficient amount of Urea fertilizer across the country.
While the government is telling loudly about having sufficient stock of fertilizer, the farmers become tired of searching their necessary amount of the very important stuff to save their paddy plants.
Finally they compelled to block roads and highways countrywide for demanding fertilizer.
As per the Agriculture ministry, during the Aman season (July-September), the demand for Urea fertilizer in the country is 6,19,000 tonnes. Currently the government has 7,27,000 tonnes in stock.
But the dealers are allegedly creating the artificial crisis.
Since the farmers are suffering hugely for getting the fertilizer, they are even ready to give higher price than the government fixed.
The frustrated farmers also staged demonstrations blocking roads demanding the supply of fertilizer.
On Saturday, hundreds of farmers have blocked Rangpur-Dhaka highway saying that their cultivation will be hampered due to scarcity of Urea fertilizer.
Following the road blockade, all types of vehicular movement on the highway remained suspended for an hour.
Mahbub Rahman, Inspector (Investigation) of Pirganj Police Station of Rangpur said hundreds of local farmers blocked both the sides of the highway at Pirganj market point yesterday morning.
Common people also expressed solidarity with the farmers, he added.
Later, the farmers lifted the blockade while the Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) and police assured them of providing fertilizer soon.
The agitating farmers Rafiqul Islam, Nesar Hossain, Kamrul Islam and many others complained that they are not getting a single kg of urea fertiliser at any retail shop or from dealers for the last ten days.
If we failed to use fertilizer in our cropland within a day or two, the Aman plants will not be nourished. Production will be hampered seriously. We are disappointed seriously, the farmers said.
When contacted, Dr. Asaduzzaman, Research Director of Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS) told The New Nation on Saturday, “When the government is announcing loudly that they have enough stock of the fertilizer, the farmers are crying due to scarcity of the most important stuff. It has made us puzzled.”
The agricultural expert said, the government has to start strict monitoring of the fertilizer distribution so that no farmers deprived of having necessary amount of fertilizer.
Dr. Asaduzzaman also blamed a section of dishonest fertilizer dealers who are behind this artificial crisis of Urea to sell it in high price.
“While the government increased price of per Kg Urea fertilizer by 25 paisa only, the dealers hiked it at Tk 5 to 10 in different areas in the country.
The dishonest traders do not think about the country and its food security,” he said.
On September 5, several hundreds of farmers staged protest in Jamalpur sadar upazila after failing to get sufficient amount of fertiliser since the period of using fertiliser to Ropa Aman paddy field is running out.
The agitated farmers blocked the Jamalpur-Mymensingh highway in Nandina bazar area for an hour – between 9:00am and 10:00am until the Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) and local representatives assured them of meeting their demand.
On Agust 20, several hundred farmers blocked a road in Kaharol upazila for one and a half hours in protest of not getting their required fertilizer from the government-enlisted dealers.
Experts also blamed keeping of two fertilizer factories suspended of production due to shortages of gas.
The state-owned Chittagong Urea Fertiliser Ltd and the country’s largest urea fertilizer producer Jamuna Fertiliser Company Ltd have suspended production for long due to shortage of gas.
Agriculture Minister Muhammad Abdur Razzaque said that there would be no fertilizer crisis in the country before the next boro season despite the closure of two plants amid gas shortage.
He repeatedly said that there is sufficient stock of fertilizer to meet the demands.
Meanwhile, experts are calling for resuming fertilizer productions from the two closed factories as soon as possible.
“The government should resume fertilizer production in the two closed factories so that the farmers are not to cry any more for its shortages,” Dr. Asaduzzaman said.
