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“I recently paid Tk 3,500 for two bags of TSP, although the official price is Tk 2,700,” he said.

He added that dealers in his area do not generally overcharge, but alleged that retailers charge more than set prices.

“We are compelled to buy fertiliser at higher rates as there is no alternative. The dealers often cite transportation costs or low availability as reasons for price hikes,” said Gouranga Das, another farmer in Bagerhat.

However, Md Nazrul Islam, a fertiliser dealer in Pabna, said they are selling fertiliser to retailers in line with government prices. He alleged that retailers may be increasing prices a little bit to make some profit.

Although insiders said there is a shortage of DAP, the deputy directors of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) in Dinajpur and Pabna denied that there is any fertiliser shortage.

“We are getting supplies from the Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC) as required. We are waiting,” an official of the Bangladesh Fertilizer Association (BFA) said.

Md Jamal Uddin, the deputy director of the DAE in Pabna, said there is no scope for a fertiliser crisis during the Boro season.

Asked about the hike in fertiliser prices at the retail level, he said his office and local administration are continuing drives to keep the market under control during the peak of the cultivation season.

Farmers are accustomed to buying the entire stock of fertiliser for the Boro season when they start cultivation, which causes trouble later.

Contacted, Md Aminul Islam, the deputy director of the DAE’s Dhaka office who is in charge of fertiliser management, said prices are not supposed to be higher than the rate fixed by the government. “We get such allegations occasionally and take action,” he said.

The BFA official added that one of the reasons farmers are forced to pay more than administered rates is the low commission for dealers and transport costs.

“Dealers get only Tk 2 as commission plus transport costs. The commission was fixed in 2008 and has not been hiked even though we have repeatedly requested the government to do so.”

Agriculture Secretary Mohammad Emdad Ullah Mian could not be reached for comment over the phone despite repeated efforts. BADC Chairman Md Ruhul Amin Khan could not be reached for comment either.