Farmers in the district of Lalmonirhat are suffering from an acute shortage of fertiliser just as the Rabi season started. Meanwhile, fertiliser stock in the warehouses of Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC) and Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation (BCIC) has run out.

Taking advantage of this circumstance, some unscrupulous individuals have started selling fertilisers to farmers, and unregistered traders are selling fertiliser to farmers at incredibly inflated prices.

Rafiqul Islam, 60, from Durgapur village in Aditmari upazila, told The Daily Star that he is disappointed as he has not been able to get MOP, DOP, TSP and Urea fertilisers from the registered fertiliser dealers. He had prepared his land for cultivating maize and tobacco, but the fertiliser shortage has halted his plans and left him distressed.

Haider Ali, 66, a farmer from Parulia village in Hatibandha upazila, said that the fertiliser crisis at the beginning of the Rabi season is an incredibly serious concern for farmers. Now, some well-off farmers and unscrupulous traders have stockpiled fertiliser and have created an artificial crisis.

Traders said the government fixed the rate for each sack (50kgs) of DAP fertiliser at Tk 1,050, TSP at Tk 1,350, MOP at Tk 1,000 and Urea at Tk 1,350.

However, some unscrupulous sellers are secretly selling fertiliser at Tk 200-300 higher per sack than the government rate.

Fertiliser dealers told The Daily Star that they did not get any allocation of urea fertiliser in October and November. Due to this, there is no stock of urea fertiliser in their warehouses. However, they got the allocation of MOP, TSP and DAP from BADC. Due to the huge demand for MOP, TSP and DAP at the beginning of the Rabi season, the government-allocated fertilisers ran out in the first week of November.

Farhad Alam Suman, a BADC fertiliser dealer at Burirbazar in Aditmari, said he sold almost all his stock of fertiliser in the first week of November. If he gets further allocation in December, he will be able to sell again.

Jewel Islam, sales officer of the BADC fertiliser warehouse in Lalmonirhat, said there is currently no fertiliser stock in the warehouse. Due to transportation issues, the supply of fertiliser in the warehouse is being disrupted. This problem will be resolved within the next week. The supply of fertiliser to the warehouse will be ensured in the first week of December.

Dr Saykhul Arifin, deputy director of the Department of Agricultural Extension in Lalmonirhat, said the government does not allocate BCIC urea fertiliser in October and November. However, the allocation of BADC's MOP, DAP and TSP was as per the demand. An artificial crisis of fertiliser has arisen in the local market due to some wealthy farmers and unscrupulous fertiliser sellers hoarding stocks.

He said they are now secretly selling fertiliser at higher prices. A drive is being launched against them. This problem will be minimised if fertiliser allocation is available in December.