Farmers in Shibalaya upazila of Manikganj are growing increasingly anxious due to a shortage of fertiliser, particularly TSP, which they say is disrupting their cultivation plans. Many report receiving far less fertiliser than required, raising concerns about potential setbacks to Rabi crop production. Dealers, however, claim they are supplying fertiliser according to demand, while the upazila agriculture office maintains that there is no shortage.
Local farmers say the fertiliser crisis began at the start of the Rabi cultivation season. TSP fertiliser, in particular, has become difficult to obtain. A farmer needing 100 kilograms of TSP is often given only 10 kilograms. Similar reports of shortages have surfaced across multiple areas of the upazila.
Yusuf Shikdar from Krishnadia village said he plans to cultivate mustard and maize on six bighas of land. When he visited a BCIC dealer in Noyabari on Monday, he received one 50-kg bag of potash, one bag of DAP and only 10 kilograms of TSP. He said he needs at least three full bags of TSP to cultivate his land, and without adequate fertiliser, he fears he may be forced to leave parts of his land uncultivated. Another farmer from the same village, Arman Ali, said he returned home empty-handed after failing to obtain TSP.
Barak Sheikh from Kalagaria village said a dealer in Borongail informed him that TSP was completely out of stock. In Kudalia village, Rahman Ali reported that dealers were not providing more than 10 kilograms of TSP to any farmer. He needs TSP to cultivate mustard on four bighas of land but has been unable to proceed due to the shortage. Hossein Sheikh from Dubliya village, who plans to cultivate mustard and vegetables on seven bighas, said he could obtain DAP and potash but not TSP, which is essential for his crops. Multiple farmers across the upazila have voiced similar grievances.
The government-fixed price for a 50-kg bag of TSP is Tk 1,350, while the same amount of potash costs Tk 1,000 and DAP Tk 1,050. Several farmers, requesting anonymity, alleged that because TSP is in high demand, some dealers are selling it to wealthier farmers at inflated prices—charging Tk 300 to Tk 500 extra per bag. They said such practices are contributing to the shortage. They also noted that TSP shortages are common every year, and wealthier farmers often purchase TSP in advance for the upcoming Irri-Boro season, further tightening supply.
BCIC fertiliser dealers in the upazila have denied that any shortage exists. Ashraful Alam Raja, a BCIC dealer in Uthli union, said Rabi cultivation has increased significantly in the area this year, and some farmers are buying extra TSP in advance for Irri-Boro cultivation. He said the shortage would ease once additional allocations arrive. Borongail sub-dealer Nizam Uddin said no farmer had ever left his shop without fertiliser, and he alleged that some farmers are denying having received fertiliser despite taking it. Khobir Uddin, a BCIC dealer in Nali Bazar, said they are distributing fertiliser strictly according to their allocated supply.
Shibalaya Upazila Agriculture Officer Razia Tarafdar said that cultivation targets have been set for 9,061 hectares of mustard, 17 hectares of wheat, 516 hectares of maize, 290 hectares of onion and 500 hectares of other Rabi crops this season. In the current month, seven BCIC dealers and 63 sub-dealers received 53 tonnes of DAP, 293 tonnes of TSP, 388 tonnes of potash and 890 tonnes of urea for distribution. When asked about the total TSP demand in the upazila, she did not provide a specific number but said fertiliser is distributed to dealers according to overall requirements.
The officer reiterated that there is no fertiliser shortage in Shibalaya, though DAP is being supplied in greater quantities as an alternative to TSP. She added that any dealer failing to supply fertiliser according to farmers’ needs would face administrative action.
