Farmers in Patuakhali’s Bauphal upazila have alleged that they are struggling to obtain fertiliser at government-fixed prices during the ongoing Aman cultivation season, forcing some to buy the essential inputs from retail sellers at significantly higher rates.

Shahjahan Kha, 52, a farmer from Keshabpur village in Keshabpur Union, has prepared three acres of land for Aman cultivation. Last Saturday, he went to M/S Tapan Traders, an authorised fertiliser dealer at Kalishuri Bazar, to purchase supplies for his fields. He said he was unable to obtain fertiliser there and was subsequently compelled to buy one 50-kilogramme sack each of triple super phosphate (TSP) and urea from a retail seller, paying Tk3,100 in total.

According to government-fixed prices, a 50-kilogramme sack of urea costs Tk1,350, while the same quantity of TSP is priced at Tk1,350. The two sacks should therefore have cost Tk2,700. Shahjahan consequently paid Tk400 more than the official rate, or an additional Tk200 per sack.

Speaking in Keshabpur on Sunday, Shahjahan and several other farmers said fertiliser was often unavailable at authorised dealers’ outlets when they went to purchase it at the prescribed prices. Retail sellers, they alleged, cited supply shortages and charged Tk200 to Tk250 more per sack. Farmers in urgent need of fertiliser, they said, had little choice but to pay the additional amount.

Similar complaints have come from Gokul Biswas, Juran Hawladar and Jasim Uddin, farmers from Botkajol in Naomala Union and Alipura in Bauphal Sadar Union. Gokul, a sharecropper, has planted Aman seedlings on three acres. He also said he could not obtain fertiliser from the main dealer and eventually bought one sack each of TSP and urea for Tk3,100.

Government figures show that the official retail price for a 50-kilogramme sack of urea is Tk1,350. The corresponding prices for TSP, diammonium phosphate (DAP) and muriate of potash (MOP) are Tk1,350, Tk1,050 and Tk1,000 respectively.

Bauphal has 15 government-authorised fertiliser dealers and 105 sub-dealers. Under the distribution system, fertiliser is supposed to reach farmers through these outlets at the prescribed prices. Farmers, however, say the prices they encounter in the market often do not match the official rates.

Demand for fertiliser has risen with the Aman season, particularly in the char areas of the upazila where Aman cultivation is widespread. Farmers say the recent market price of a sack of urea has reached Tk1,600 to Tk1,700. TSP has reportedly been selling for Tk1,700 to Tk1,750 in some places, while DAP is also alleged to be available above its official price.

Emran Dhali, a farmer from Dashpara, alleged that fertiliser shortages become particularly apparent when demand is at its highest. According to him, some shopkeepers initially claim that fertiliser is unavailable, but supplies can be produced when customers agree to pay a higher price.

Jabbar Peda of Dhulia village in Dhulia Union described a similar experience. He said that when farmers approach the union dealer, they are told that fertiliser has already been distributed among retail shops. Retail sellers, meanwhile, cite inadequate supply, higher purchasing costs and transport expenses as reasons for charging more.

The dealers have rejected responsibility for the alleged overcharging.

Tapan Kumar, proprietor of M/S Tapan Traders at Kalishuri Bazar, said he sells fertiliser to farmers and retailers at the government-fixed price. If a retailer subsequently sells the product at a higher rate, he said, that is beyond his control.

Atikur Rahman Mamun, proprietor of M/S Biswas Enterprise, a dealer in Naomala Union, also denied responsibility for higher prices charged by retail sellers. He questioned what dealers could do if farmers chose to purchase fertiliser from retailers and subsequently paid more.

Several sub-dealers said they make only a modest margin after purchasing fertiliser from dealers and adding transport costs. According to them, their profit is around Tk50 per sack, although farmers claim that the actual additional amount charged in some cases is several times higher.

Joydeb Debnath, owner of Chitta Master Store at Kalaiya Bazar and a union dealer, said dealers do not maintain separate arrangements to distinguish between farmers and shopkeepers when selling fertiliser. He claimed that fertiliser is sold at Tk1,350 per sack from his outlet and said dealers cannot control the price at which retailers later sell the product.

Masud Rana, president of the Bauphal upazila branch of the Bangladesh Fertilizer Association, similarly said dealers sell fertiliser at government-fixed prices. Some traders in rural areas may charge more, he acknowledged, but said such sales were outside the dealers’ control.

The issue has emerged at a critical point in the agricultural calendar, as farmers are preparing fields and applying fertiliser for Aman cultivation. Any increase in the cost of inputs can add to production expenses, particularly for sharecroppers and small farmers working on limited margins.

According to the upazila agriculture department, the target for Aman cultivation in Bauphal this season has been set at 34,800 hectares, while the target for Aus cultivation is 2,806 hectares. To support fertiliser demand, 15 dealers were allocated 295 tonnes of urea in July. The allocation was increased to 770 tonnes in August.

The figures indicate that the supply allocation rose substantially in August, even as farmers continued to report difficulty obtaining fertiliser at official prices. The gap between reported availability and farmers’ experiences has therefore become a key concern in the local fertiliser distribution system.

Shahriar Rizvi Limon, upazila agriculture extension officer, said he had not received any formal complaint regarding fertiliser being sold above the government-fixed price.

He said that if a complaint is received against any dealer for selling fertiliser at a higher price than the prescribed rate, the allegation will be investigated and strict action will be taken against those found responsible.

For farmers in Bauphal, the immediate concern remains straightforward: fertiliser needs to be available when it is required and at the price fixed by the authorities. With Aman cultivation covering a large area of the upazila, effective monitoring of dealers and sub-dealers will be crucial to ensuring that increased seasonal demand does not translate into additional costs for growers.