Farmers in Kurigram are facing mounting difficulties in obtaining fertiliser, with repeated disorder at dealer points fuelling frustration across the district. Crowds, delays and disputes have been reported at distribution centres almost every week, while several incidents have escalated into road blockades, attacks and vandalism.
Local administration officials, political leaders, police and government intelligence agencies have attributed much of the problem to the current distribution arrangement. According to them, a decision was taken to distribute fertiliser not only through authorised dealer warehouses but also through registered retail sellers at ward level. However, the system has yet to be implemented fully, leaving hundreds of farmers dependent on a limited number of dealer points.
The concentration of farmers at those locations has made orderly distribution difficult. Even where additional fertiliser has been allocated, many farmers reportedly have to wait for hours and some return home without receiving the amount they need.
The situation has also created concern among local officials. The administration says it has repeatedly urged the agriculture department to implement ward-based distribution, but alleges that a lack of initiative and cooperation has delayed the process.
The latest incident occurred on Tuesday, 22 September, at a dealer point in Natun Anantapur of Hatia Union in Ulipur. The dealer and a sub-assistant agriculture officer reportedly left the site after seeing the large crowd of farmers. Angered by the situation, farmers set fire to objects and blocked the road. The administration later deployed additional police and brought the situation under control.
Similar incidents have occurred in several parts of the district in recent weeks.
On the previous Sunday, serious disorder was reported at fertiliser distribution points in Ghogadaha and Bhogdanga unions of Kurigram Sadar. In Ghogadaha, farmers waiting outside a dealer’s warehouse reportedly assaulted a sub-assistant agriculture officer after delays in distribution.
On 18 September, farmers in Ballabherkhas Union of Nageshwari confined another sub-assistant agriculture officer inside a dealer’s warehouse and blocked a road in protest. The officer remained confined for around four hours before the upazila nirbahi officer arrived and rescued him.
The situation had turned violent two days earlier in Char Rajibpur. On 16 September, frustrated farmers reportedly vandalised a dealer’s warehouse at Rajibpur Bazar and took away fertiliser.
Similar incidents were also reported in Roumari on 7 September and Bhurungamari on 23 August. The repeated confrontations have highlighted growing tensions between marginal farmers and the local agricultural administration.
Despite the incidents, the distribution system remained largely unchanged for some time. Farmers, local administrators and BNP leaders have all called for fertiliser to be distributed through registered retail sellers at ward level, arguing that such a system would reduce crowds and make it easier for farmers to purchase the quantities they require.
Against this backdrop, Rangpur Divisional Commissioner Shahidul Islam visited Kurigram after reports of disorder over fertiliser distribution. On 19 September, he held a meeting with local leaders and journalists in Roumari. The following day, he met officials from the administration and agriculture department, police representatives, political leaders and journalists at the Deputy Commissioner’s conference room.
The meeting decided that fertiliser should be distributed through registered ward-based retail sellers alongside dealer warehouses to make the process more accessible and orderly for farmers.
However, people who attended the meeting said the decision had not been properly translated into action on the ground. During the period of the meeting, disorder was reportedly taking place outside dealer warehouses in Bhogdanga, Ghogadaha and Holokhana unions. An agriculture official was also assaulted.
Farmers say the present system is particularly difficult for those who depend on daily wages. They may have to spend several hours travelling to and waiting at a dealer point, only to return without fertiliser. Time spent in queues can also mean losing a day’s income.
At Panchpir Bazar in Durgapur Union of Ulipur on Tuesday, a similar situation was observed at the BCIC-authorised dealer point operated by Messrs Md Akbar Ali. Farmers from across the union gathered at the location to collect fertiliser. One sack was being allocated among five people, yet many farmers still failed to obtain fertiliser.
Ruhul Amin, a farmer from the Jamuna area of the union, described the difficulty of repeatedly travelling to the dealer point while also trying to maintain his livelihood.
“I have been coming for three days. I came today to collect fertiliser, but I still did not get any,” he said. He added that farmers were being told that five people had to be present to obtain a sack, despite him bringing identification cards for five family members. According to him, it was difficult for five people to leave their wage work simply to collect a small quantity of fertiliser.
Another farmer from the same union, Soljer, a retired serviceman, said the present arrangement had increased the hardship for farmers. He said people were forced to stand for hours and questioned how farmers could continue collecting fertiliser under such conditions. In his view, the previous system of supplying fertiliser through retail shops allowed farmers to purchase according to their requirements and avoided large crowds.
BCIC fertiliser dealer Ramzan Ali also said the distribution arrangement had changed from the previous year. According to him, fertiliser had been supplied through retail sellers last year, whereas the concentration of distribution at dealer points this year had brought farmers from entire unions to single locations.
“If fertiliser were distributed ward by ward, this kind of situation would not occur,” he said.
Ulipur Upazila Agriculture Officer Shahidul Islam acknowledged that a decision had been taken to distribute fertiliser through ward-based retail sellers but said the arrangement had not yet started. At present, he said, fertiliser was being distributed only from dealer warehouses. Similar distribution arrangements have reportedly remained in place in other upazilas of the district.
District BNP convener Mostafizar Rahman Mostafa said the decision to introduce ward-based distribution had been reached by consensus. He argued that failure to follow the agreed arrangement was contributing to the disorder.
District Commissioner and District Fertiliser and Seed Monitoring Committee chair Annapurna Debnath said the administration had repeatedly pressed the agriculture department to implement the decision. She alleged that there had been delays and a lack of initiative at field level.
She said action had also been taken against officials in connection with the situation, including the transfer of a deputy director, while the administration was continuing efforts to coordinate the distribution process.
According to her, ward-based distribution through registered retail sellers is now being introduced gradually.
The continuing problems in Kurigram point to a gap between decisions taken at administrative meetings and their implementation at the distribution points where farmers actually collect fertiliser. For farmers already facing pressure to protect their crops and maintain their livelihoods, prolonged queues, repeated journeys and uncertainty over supplies are adding another layer of difficulty during the farming season.
The immediate challenge for the authorities is therefore not only to ensure adequate fertiliser supplies, but also to establish a distribution mechanism that reaches farmers without creating large, unmanageable crowds. Until the ward-based system is fully operational, the concentration of farmers at dealer warehouses is likely to remain a major source of tension in the district.
