Dhaka   Wednesday
13 August 2025

Fertilizer Syndicate Sparks Crisis in Ulipur Markets

Staff Correspondent

Published: 16:56, 12 August 2025

Fertilizer Syndicate Sparks Crisis in Ulipur Markets

Allegations have emerged in Ulipur, Kurigram, that unscrupulous fertilizer dealers are deliberately creating an artificial shortage in the market. Farmers claim dealers are keeping supplies hidden in warehouses instead of stocking their shops, selling instead to retailers at inflated prices. With the peak Aman cultivation season underway, this manipulation has left farmers struggling to secure essential fertilizers.

Victims allege that the Department of Agricultural Extension is failing to monitor the procurement, storage, and distribution of fertilizers, and in some cases, irregularities are taking place in collusion with agricultural officials. Farmers are demanding that each dealer be required to sell fertilizers directly to them from designated union market shops.

According to agricultural department sources, this season Aman paddy is being cultivated on 24,310 hectares in Ulipur upazila. To distribute chemical fertilizers at government-fixed prices, 13 dealers from BCIC and 15 from BADC have been appointed—one from each agency in every union. However, while policy mandates that each dealer maintain a shop in their respective union markets, farmers say this exists only on paper, with dealers rarely selling from their official locations.

An investigation found that three dealers—operating as a syndicate—are collecting allocations meant for 13 BCIC dealers, including Messrs Talukdar Construction, Messrs Sabuj Traders, and Messrs Rashid Enterprise. Instead of selling to farmers, the syndicate supplies retailers at higher prices, ensuring a constant shortage in the market. Retailers then sell fertilizers at nearly double the official price.

Farmers report that urea, officially priced at Tk 1,200 per sack, is selling for Tk 1,400; TSP for Tk 2,300 instead of Tk 1,350; DAP for Tk 1,350 instead of Tk 1,050; and MOP for Tk 1,300 instead of Tk 1,200. Some farmers say they have been forced to pay nearly twice the government rate, adding to production costs already inflated by low rainfall and irrigation expenses.

Local farmers also report that many dealers maintain only a signboard in their designated market shops, with no fertilizer ever sold there. Similar complaints have come from multiple unions, including Gunaiygachh, Thetrai, and Hatia.

When contacted, Masud Rana of Messrs Masud Traders claimed that the price of TSP has risen due to high seasonal demand and low supply but denied significant price hikes for other fertilizers. Ulipur Upazila Agriculture Officer Md. Mosharaf Hossain acknowledged that some dealers do not sell from their official shops but said he had not yet received complaints of overpricing. He assured that the matter would be investigated and necessary action taken.