Anxious farmers in Kurigram’s Ulipur upazila staged an energetic road blockade on Tuesday, burning tyres to protest severe delays and perceived shortages in the distribution of essential agricultural fertilisers. The demonstration, centered around the Natan Anantapur Bazar area in Hatiya union, disrupted traffic along the key regional highway linking Hatiya and Raniganj unions to Kurigram district town for nearly an hour and a half.
Trouble brewed at local dealership M/S Sufia Enterprise, where hundreds of smallholders from neighboring villages had assembled early in the morning following notifications that chemical fertilisers would be issued. Anxiety escalated when distribution failed to begin by 9:30 am—well past the scheduled 8:00 am opening. Fearing they would be left without necessary inputs like urea, triple superphosphate (TSP), and muriate of potash (MoP) during a critical planting window, the waiting crowd spilled onto the roadway, burning tyres and halting all vehicular movement.
The blockade is part of a broader pattern of agricultural tension unsettling northern Bangladesh. Kurigram has seen repeated outbursts over fertiliser availability, including previous incidents involving protests, local warehouse break-ins, input looting, and the temporary confinement of field-level agriculture officers. For rural communities operating on tight seasonal margins, even a brief interruption in the input supply chain jeopardises crop yields and long-term financial stability.
Peace was restored after Ulipur Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) A T M Arif, alongside officials from the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) and local police, arrived to address the crowd. Following administrative guarantees and the immediate commencement of sales under official supervision, the protesters cleared the highway, allowing normal traffic to resume.
Shamsul Alam, manager of M/S Sufia Enterprise, explained that the sheer volume of gathered growers created safety concerns, prompting staff to seek police support before opening the depot doors. Upazila Agriculture Officer Shahidul Islam conceded that managing such high turnout poses severe logistical hurdles, but confirmed that distribution was eventually completed in an orderly manner. UNO Arif reiterated that while supply remains maintained, local authorities must refine crowd management strategies to prevent routine distribution delays from spiralling into public disorder.
