Around 328 metric tonnes of fertiliser have allegedly gone missing from a government warehouse operated by the Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC) in Dinajpur, prompting an investigation and the detention of a warehouse custodian.
Police detained Md Aktarul Islam, 40, the custodian of the BADC fertiliser warehouse in the Nashipur area of Dinajpur Sadar upazila, on Monday night, 24 August. BADC Dinajpur Assistant Director (Fertiliser) Md Khursheed Alam subsequently filed a case with Kotwali Police Station in connection with the alleged disappearance of the fertiliser.
Aktarul Islam is the son of Md Afsar Ali of Araji village in Khansama upazila of Dinajpur.
According to police and local sources, authorities received information that a substantial quantity of fertiliser was allegedly being sold from the Nashipur government warehouse without the required authorisation. Acting on the information, a team comprising the Dinajpur Sadar upazila nirbahi officer, BADC Dinajpur Regional Joint Director (Fertiliser) Md Jahangir Alam, other BADC officials and police officers conducted an inspection at the warehouse.
During the inspection, officials checked the warehouse’s stock records against the physical quantity of fertiliser stored there. The audit reportedly revealed a significant shortage.
According to the complaint lodged by Khursheed Alam, the shortage included 227.45 metric tonnes of di-ammonium phosphate (DAP), equivalent to 4,549 sacks, and 100.45 metric tonnes of muriate of potash (MOP), equivalent to 2,009 sacks. The estimated value of the missing fertiliser is Tk 67,85,450.
Officials questioned Aktarul Islam about the discrepancy and asked him to produce supporting documents relating to the distribution or movement of the fertiliser. However, he allegedly failed to provide valid documents, delivery challans, distribution registers or other acceptable records accounting for the missing stock.
The complaint further states that, during questioning, Aktarul admitted that part of the fertiliser identified as missing had been handed over to two fertiliser dealers without valid documentation. He was subsequently handed over to police for further legal action.
The incident has raised concerns over the management and monitoring of fertiliser stocks at government warehouses. BADC warehouses play a key role in storing and supplying agricultural inputs, particularly fertilisers used by farmers during different stages of crop production. Proper stock records and authorised distribution procedures are therefore essential to ensure that government-supplied fertiliser reaches the intended dealers and farmers.
Dinajpur Kotwali Police Station Officer-in-Charge Mohammad Nur Nabi said one person had been detained in connection with the incident and that the legal process was under way.
BADC officials said there are two warehouses, known as Kanchan and Steel, in the Nashipur area. Together, the facilities have a storage capacity of around 18,000 metric tonnes. They are used to store different types of fertiliser, including MOP, DAP and triple superphosphate (TSP).
The alleged shortage is now expected to be examined through the ongoing legal and administrative processes to determine how the fertiliser was removed, who was involved and whether further action is required against any other individuals.
