Farmers break open dealer’s warehouse in Kurigram, take away 197 sacks of fertiliser
Farmers took away 197 sacks of urea fertiliser, each weighing 50kg, after breaking open a dealer’s warehouse in Bhurungamari upazila of Kurigram. The incident took place around 11:00am on Sunday in Shilkhuri Union.
Later, following police intervention, 33 farmers returned 33 sacks of fertiliser. Efforts are underway to recover the remaining sacks. Police and the upazila agriculture office said the incident was triggered by frustration among farmers over a fertiliser shortage.
According to the upazila agriculture office, 1,320 sacks of fertiliser had been allocated to dealer Shah Amanat Traders, based in Tilai Union, for distribution in Shilkhuri Union. Of this allocation, the dealer collected 340 sacks of urea fertiliser and stored them in the warehouse for the ongoing Aman season.
However, farmers said they had visited the warehouse several times but could not obtain fertiliser, leading to growing frustration. On Sunday morning, a group of local farmers broke open the warehouse door and took away the fertiliser.
After being informed, police from Bhurungamari Police Station went to the scene. The situation came under control in the presence of the police. Later, when police requested the farmers to return the fertiliser, 33 farmers returned 33 sacks.
Bhurungamari Police Station Officer-in-Charge Azim Uddin said the upazila’s demand for fertiliser is around 4,000 sacks, against an allocation of 1,320 sacks. The dealer had also collected less fertiliser than the allocation. Fearing that they would not be able to obtain fertiliser, the farmers took it from the warehouse, he said.
After receiving the news, police went to the scene and brought the situation under control. The farmers had taken away 197 sacks of fertiliser, of which 33 sacks have been returned. Efforts are underway to recover the rest, he added.
Upazila Agriculture Officer Abdul Jabbar told Prothom Alo that 340 sacks of fertiliser had been collected in the name of the dealer. Of these, farmers took around 200 sacks from the warehouse. The matter has been reported to senior officials.
“With the help of the police administration and local residents, we have been able to recover many of the sacks of fertiliser. Efforts are underway to recover the rest,” he said.
Meanwhile, several farmers alleged that they had visited the dealer several times but were unable to obtain fertiliser. They said that although there was no fertiliser at the dealer’s warehouse, it was available at higher prices on the open market. This had caused frustration among them. The farmers later joined hands and took fertiliser from the warehouse.
Several attempts were made to contact Taifur Rahman, proprietor of Shah Amanat Traders, by phone for his comment, but he could not be reached.
Of the 197 sacks of fertiliser taken away by farmers after breaking open the dealer’s warehouse in Kurigram, police have recovered 33 sacks.
Bhurungamari Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Amrit Debnath told Prothom Alo that many sacks of fertiliser had already been recovered with the help of the police administration and local residents. Efforts are underway to recover the rest. He said he was on his way to inspect the scene.