Angered by acute shortages and alleged hoarding of essential agricultural inputs, local farmers laid siege to a fertilizer distribution point in Kaliganj upazila under Jhenaidah district on Sunday morning. The protest erupted at Dudhrajpur village within Jamal Union at the dealership outlet belonging to Shahidul Islam. The standoff eventually eased after officials from the local agriculture administration intervened and arranged the immediate distribution of nearly 60 sacks of urea found hidden inside the locked warehouse.
According to local farmers, the dealer had announced that fertilizer distribution would take place on Sunday morning. However, when dozens of farmers gathered at the outlet, representatives of the dealership informed them that the entire stock had already been sold out over Friday and Saturday. Suspecting foul play, an incensed crowd forced open the locked storehouse, discovering approximately 60 concealed sacks of urea. The discovery provoked widespread indignation, leading the farmers to surround the premises and stage a demonstration demanding immediate distribution.
Official records indicate that against a monthly allocation requirement of 64 tonnes for September, the dealer had drawn 58 tonnes—equivalent to nearly 1,200 bags—from government stocks. Serious irregularities surfaced when inspecting the dealer’s distribution register. Phone numbers were listed alongside barely 5 per cent of the beneficiary names. When journalists present at the scene attempted to dial nine phone numbers recorded in the ledger, only one recipient confirmed receiving his allocated fertilizer, while the remaining eight numbers were completely unreachable.
The dealer, Shahidul Islam, refuted all allegations of illegal stockpiling or black-market diversion, maintaining that all previously drawn stocks had been distributed to legitimate farmers in strict compliance with official guidelines.
Arafat Jamil, a Sub-Assistant Agriculture Officer who arrived at the scene, confirmed that the newly discovered stock was distributed to the assembled farmers under official supervision. He added that procedures were underway to bring in additional consignments and that authorities were thoroughly investigating potential discrepancies in the sales ledger.
Kaliganj Upazila Agriculture Officer Mahbub Alam Roni stated that field officers were dispatched immediately upon receiving news of the unrest to stabilize the situation and ensure fair allocation, promising that further consignments would arrive shortly.
Addressing concerns regarding regional availability, Ohidur Rahman, In-Charge of the Jhenaidah and Chuadanga Buffer Godowns, assured that there is no structural deficit of fertilizer. He noted that a total target of 10,373 metric tonnes of urea has been set for distribution across Jhenaidah district through 126 appointed dealers during September.
Echoing this stance, Md Kamruzzaman, Deputy Director of the Department of Agricultural Extension in Jhenaidah, reiterated that adequate stocks remain available across government repositories. He warned that syndicate elements attempting to create artificial shortages to manipulate prices would face stern legal action upon investigation.
