A worsening fertiliser deficit in Kurigram district has sparked mounting tensions between local farmers and agricultural officials, leading to violence, road blockades, and widespread distress across rural communities. Whilst the Department of Agricultural Extension maintains that adequate stocks are available, farmers tell a starkly different story on the ground. Desperate for essential crop inputs, growers face persistent shortages at official dealership points, even as supplies appear readily available on the black market at inflated prices. This disparity has fuelled deep suspicion among farmers, who allege collusion between field-level officials and private retailers.
The discontent has erupted into volatile confrontations across several sub-districts, including Bhurungamari, Roumari, Ulipur, and Char Rajibpur, where warehouses belonging to official dealers were looted. Field-level agriculture officers tasking themselves with distribution monitoring have frequently found themselves targeted by angry crowds. To date, one sub-district agriculture officer and two assistant sub-officers have been physically assaulted, whilst several others faced confinement by protesting crowds.
Tensions escalated sharply on Sunday in Ghogadah union under Kurigram Sadar sub-district, where Sub-Assistant Agriculture Officer Mamun Or Rashid was attacked during a distribution run. The situation required immediate intervention from the Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO), senior agricultural figures, and local police. Following the incident, agricultural personnel lodged a formal complaint at Sadar Police Station against four named individuals and several unidentified suspects. Sadar Police Station Officer-in-Charge Kamal Hossain confirmed receipt of an official forwarding letter from the department, noting that an investigation is currently under way.
Disturbances have rippled across the district. In Ulipur sub-district, angry farmers blockaded the Kurigram-Chilmari regional highway at Natun Anantapur market for ninety minutes, halting traffic until authorities stepped in to restore order and resume distribution. Earlier, on 7 September, an assault in Bangasonahat union led to a criminal case filed by Bhurungamari Sub-District Agriculture Officer Abdul Jabbar against 11 named individuals and 50 to 60 unnamed suspects. Two farmers, Al-Amin, 47, and Suruj Mia, 45, were arrested and later released on bail, though more than 50 local farmers remain in hiding for fear of arrest. Suruj Mia insisted that while farmers protested peacefully for fair access to inputs, no physical harm was inflicted on officials.
Similar standoffs occurred on 18 September, when Sub-Assistant Officer Rafiqul Islam was trapped inside a warehouse for four hours by frustrated growers in Nageshwari sub-district before being rescued under police escort. That same evening, Sub-Assistant Officer Swapan Kumar was briefly detained inside a shop in Ulipur whilst speaking with a retailer.
In response to the spiralling unrest, the government allocated an emergency emergency supply of 1,000 tonnes of fertiliser to stabilise the district. Nevertheless, agricultural workers report operating under severe strain and fear for their personal safety. Kurigram Sadar Sub-District Agriculture Officer Nahida Afrin expressed grave concern over performing official duties amid threats to life, acknowledging that the breakdown in trust between officials and farmers poses a serious risk to agricultural management across the region.
