FROM PAGE B1

Corporation, the government-fixed retail price per kilogramme is Tk 27 for TSP, Tk 21 for DAP and Tk 20 for MOP.

But Rafiqul Islam, from Moghalhat village in Lalmonirhat Sadar upazila, said he paid Tk 8 to Tk 10 more per kilogramme for TSP and DAP.

In Rajshahi, Muktar Ali of Damkura in Paba upazila said DAP prices have been elevated for some time. A sack officially priced at Tk 1,050 is selling for Tk 1,300 to Tk 1,350, and in some areas as much as Tk 1,400.

In Khulna, Md Ibrahim at Masalia village at Batiaghata upazila cultivated Boro paddy on one and a half bighas this year. He bought urea at Tk 1,455 per sack. For watermelon, he paid Tk 1,850 for small-grain urea.

“They [sellers] never give a receipt. Besides, when we go to buy fertiliser, we are forced to buy pesticides. If we don’t buy those, they refuse to sell fertiliser,” he added.

GOVT SAYS FERTILISER STOCKS SUFFICIENT

Shaikhul Arifin, deputy director of Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) in Lalmonirhat, blamed unscrupulous dealers for hoarding fertiliser and creating artificial crises to make a quick buck.

He said mobile courts are carrying out drives against overpricing and artificial shortages.

Abdullah Al Mamun, deputy director of DAE in Kurigram, said there is no significant shortage in his district. However, he acknowledged reports of higher prices in remote areas without authorised dealers.

Sirajul Islam, additional director of the Rangpur regional office of DAE, pointed to local demand patterns.

“The tendency of tobacco cultivation is higher in Rangpur, Lalmonirhat and Nilphamari districts. In areas where tobacco is cultivated, the demand for fertiliser increases and shortages sometimes occur.”

“We are identifying the causes of the fertiliser shortage and will send a report to the ministry,” he said.

Md Rafiqul Islam, additional director of DAE in Khulna, said officials are monitoring the market. “If anyone charges higher prices, dealers are punished through mobile courts, and in some cases, their licences are cancelled.”

Md Aminul Islam, deputy director for fertiliser management at the field service wing of DAE, said there is currently no shortage of urea or other fertilisers nationwide. There is, therefore, no justification for higher prices, he said, describing the situation as an artificial scarcity.

Agriculture Minister Mohammed Aminur Rashid told The Daily Star that stocks of both urea and non-urea fertilisers are sufficient for the coming months.

The minister acknowledged complaints of overpricing at the local level and said authorities are investigating.

He added that field officials have been instructed to address irregularities swiftly and assured that specific complaints will be resolved within 48 hours once detailed information is provided.

[Our Rajshahi correspondent Shohanur Rahman Rafi contributed to this report.]