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DIESEL CRISIS

Irked agri ministry to talk with the energy

STAFF CORRESPONDENT
The agriculture ministry will immediately take up with the energy ministry the issue of an acute diesel supply shortage facing the farmers.
Lawmakers present at yesterday's meeting of the parliamentary standing committee on the agriculture ministry expressed the fear that by the time the government imports diesel and fertiliser, farmers may miss out on the peak boro season.
They were also wary that insufficient irrigation and fertiliser will affect the growing rice plants.
The ministry also informed the parliamentary committee that an official probe into the alleged question paper leak in written exams for recruitment of block supervisors (BS) on January 30 found the former director general of the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) and an additional director of DAE involved with the scam.
Talking to The Daily Star after the two-hour meeting held at the Cabinet Room of the Sangsad Bhaban, parliamentary committee Chairman and BNP MP Abdul Mannan said apart from departmental actions corruption charges would be pressed against the officials involved.
The exams for recruiting the BS have been suspended after the leak was proved in Mymensingh, Abdul Mannan said adding that the parliamentary committee had asked the ministry to ensure 'watertight' security for the question papers next time.
Mannan said Agriculture Minister MK Anwar had assured the
meeting of normal urea supply in the country and import of 50,000 triple super phosphate (TSP) soon.
The committee chairman acknowledged that there has been a diesel crisis and that the farmers have been forced to buy diesel at a price higher than normal to irrigate boro lands. He said diesel consignments from abroad are expected soon.
Half of Bangladesh's annual food output comprises boro rice.
Jatiya Party lawmaker and committee member GM Kader told The Daily Star the government should have taken the import measures much earlier. "Now, by the time fertiliser and diesel consignments reach here, farmers would miss the peak boro irrigation season."
Kader said Anwar assured the meeting that he would look into the problem and take up the issue with energy ministry so that diesel import is expedited and farmers get it at fair price.
It was alleged in the meeting that district-level fertiliser monitoring committees were not active enough to redress farmers' miseries as unscrupulous traders were hiking farm input prices.
The agriculture minister warned against hoarding and artificial price hike on the pretext of price fluctuation in the international market. He also told the meeting that steps would be taken to make the monitoring more stringent.
State Minister for Agriculture Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, other committee members and the ministry officials were also present.