Dulal Hossain, a farmer from Naohata in Rajshahi’s Paba upazila, is supposed to be busy applying necessary fertilisers, weeding and caring for his newly planted Aman paddy fields. He is now running from one shop to another in search of fertiliser instead of those chores. Even showing an agricultural card, he cannot find fertiliser at authorised dealers’ shops, while the same fertiliser is available at retail shops in the market — albeit at prices higher than government rates.

The farmer said, “Despite having an agricultural card, I went to the dealer twice and didn’t get fertiliser. There’s no fertiliser at the government price. But if you pay more, it’s readily available at retail shops. Basically, dealers aren’t keeping fertiliser in their shops; they’re secretly hiding it elsewhere and selling it at higher prices.”

Dulal Hossain is not alone. Farmers in various regions, including Rajshahi, Chapainawabganj, Kushtia, Rangpur and Lalmonirhat, are echoing the same complaints. Coming at a crucial time for planting and tending to Aman paddy, failing to get fertiliser as needed has put them in a bind. In some places, subsidised fertiliser is unavailable at authorised dealers’ shops, while in others, even if found at retail shops, it has to be purchased for several hundred takas above the government-set prices. Farmers complain that this situation is particularly acute in the case of TSP and DAP fertilisers.

Urea fertiliser is supposed to be sold to farmers at BDT 22 per kg, making a 50-kg bag cost BDT 1,100, according to government-determined prices. TSP is priced at BDT 27 per kg (BDT 1,350 per bag), DAP at BDT 21 per kg (BDT 1,050 per bag) and MOP at BDT 20 per kg (BDT 1,000 per bag). But farmers’ experiences at the field level tell a different story: failing to find fertiliser at government prices in authorised dealers’ shops in various areas of Rajshahi, they are forced to buy it from retail markets at inflated prices.

Farmers complain that a 50-kg bag of TSP has to be purchased for BDT 1,700 to 1,800, meaning an extra BDT 350–450 is being paid per bag compared to the government price. In the case of DAP, allegations are that prices range from BDT 1,600 to 1,700, resulting in an additional expenditure of BDT 550–650 per bag for farmers.

Abir Ahmed, a farmer from Durgapur upazila, said, “Extra money is being extracted from farmers by creating an artificial crisis. Dealers claim there is no fertiliser, but if you give them an extra BDT 500–600, they provide it.” Waliullah, a farmer from Basantapur village in Godagari upazila, shared a similar experience, stating he went to the dealer several times to buy fertiliser but came away empty-handed.

At Messrs Haque and Sons Enterprise, a BADC-authorized dealer in Naohata market, no subsidised fertiliser was found available. The proprietor, Abdul Haque, told Bonik Barta, “I received only 22 bags of TSP, 70 bags of MOP and 110 bags of DAP in July. Yet, there are thousands of farmers across 42 mouzas in this region. The allocated fertiliser runs out within two to three days.”

Officials of the Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC) state that the agriculture ministry determines the allocation amounts for dealers, and there is no scope to supply fertiliser beyond the approved allocation. Regarding this, BADC’s Rajshahi Assistant Director (Fertiliser) Nasir Uddin told Bonik Barta, “Despite dealers complaining about receiving low allocations, we supply strictly according to the amounts approved by the agriculture ministry. We can only provide as much as the ministry allocates.”

This is currently one of the most critical agricultural seasons. Depending on monsoon water and weather conditions, paddy planting and tending work takes place across vast areas of the country. Balanced amounts of necessary fertilisers, including urea, TSP, DAP and MOP, must be applied at various stages to promote tillering, ensure normal plant growth, and guarantee yields. Farmers point out that if the appropriate time passes, getting fertiliser later does not yield the full benefit. If the crisis prolongs, not only will production costs rise, but crop yields could also suffer a negative impact.

Azizur Rahman, additional director of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) in Rajshahi, said, “No written complaints regarding a fertiliser crisis have been received yet. Action will be taken once a complaint is filed.”

Kazi Shahidul Islam, deputy commissioner of Rajshahi, echoed the same sentiment, saying Bonik Barta, “The matter of the complaint will be looked into. Necessary steps will be taken if evidence of irregularities is found.”

In Kushtia as well, farmers have complained about not receiving fertiliser at government-determined prices. Failing to get fertiliser from dealers, they are forced to buy urea, TSP, DAP and MOP at higher prices from sub-dealers and retail shops. Even where fertiliser is available, quantities are restricted to 10-20 kg at most, putting farmers who need larger amounts in a difficult position. They are also incurring extra costs of up to BDT 5 to 13 per kg over official rates.

Shamsul Islam Zoha, a farmer from Boro Valuka village in Panti Union of Kumarkhali, stated that he cultivated Aman on five bighas of land and could not get the necessary fertiliser at the designated prices by visiting the union dealer’s shop. He consequently bought urea at BDT 32 per kg, DAP at BDT 37 and TSP at BDT 38 from a sub-dealer.

Aritin Mollah, a farmer from the same area, complained that dealers do not provide full bags of fertiliser at once, limiting distribution to 15-20 kg. He is consequently unable to properly apply fertiliser to his land.

When asked, Kumarkhali Upazila Agriculture Officer Md Monir Hossain said, “Drives against irregularities are underway. Based on farmers’ complaints, agriculture officials will be stationed at several dealer points to oversee fertiliser distribution.” Upazila Nirbahi Officer Farzana Akhter also confirmed that verbal complaints regarding artificial shortages and overpricing have been received.

On Monday, protesting against the fertiliser crisis and inflated prices, farmers blocked a highway in Lalmonirhat’s Kaliganj and staged a demonstration. After about two hours, they lifted the blockade following assurances from the upazila administration. Farmers complained that they had to pay up to BDT 2,000 to 2,200 for a bag of TSP, BDT 1,700 to 1,800 for DAP and up to BDT 1,800 for a bag of urea.

Abu Taleb, a farmer from the Ershad’s Mor area in Ranipukur Union of Rangpur’s Mithapukur upazila, cultivated paddy on his 100 decimals of land. He stated that fertiliser needs to be applied within 15-20 days of paddy cultivation; failing to do so on time weakens the plants. Not finding potash and urea at the dealers, he was forced to buy fertiliser from the open market at a higher price.

Jahangir Alam, president of the BADC Seed Dealer Association, Rangpur, said, “Genuine farmers shouldn’t face a fertiliser shortage. The supply of potash and TSP is sufficient, though DAP supply is low, which will be resolved this month.”

There are also complaints of fertiliser shortages in Chapainawabganj’s Nachol. Last Saturday, long queues of farmers formed in front of dealers’ shops from early morning to collect fertiliser. At one point, chaos broke out over the distribution, prompting the upazila administration and agriculture officials to rush to the scene and bring the situation under control. Farmers complained that they did not get fertiliser according to their demand at the start of the season, which is why they had to line up from dawn on distribution days.

According to DAE data, the country’s demand for fertiliser in the current 2026-27 fiscal year is projected to reach 6.77 million (6,770,500) tons. This includes 2.62 million (2,622,000) tons of urea, 901,500 tons of TSP, 1.35 million 1,355,700 tons of DAP and 970,000 tons of MOP. The demand for NPKS (balanced fertiliser of nitrogen, phosphorus, potash and sulfur), gypsum, zinc sulfate, magnesium sulfate, boron and ammonium sulfate is estimated at 921,300 tons. According to the agriculture ministry data, total fertiliser stock in the country stood at slightly over 1.6 million tons as of yesterday.

The price hike and supply shortage of fertiliser during the Aman season are concerning issues for agriculture, according to agricultural experts. Failing to receive fertiliser on time can disrupt the normal growth of paddy and raise fears of reduced production. Buying at higher prices will increase farmers’ expenses, which poses a threat to both the farmers and the country’s food security.

Regarding this, agricultural economist Dr Jahangir Alam told Bonik Barta, “According to reports from various places, the fertiliser supply is inadequate. Farmers are failing to collect fertiliser according to their demand. If the fertiliser supply isn’t stabilised during the Aman season, production will be disrupted, which will undermine the country’s food security and further increase import dependency for food.”

Pointing out that the winter vegetable season is coming up after Aman, he added, “A large quantity of vegetables are cultivated across the country during that time. If this fertiliser shortage persists, farmers’ production costs will increase, leading to higher vegetable prices. Food inflation is already high. If vegetable prices rise alongside other foods, the plight of low-income people will worsen further. So planning for the upcoming season must begin right now. Domestic production of fertiliser must also be further accelerated to mitigate the crisis.”

The DAE has set a target of cultivating transplanted Aman across 5.71 million (5,710,762) hectares this season, with a corresponding production target of 18 million (18,000,576) tons of Aman. Relevant stakeholders believe that failing to secure required fertilisers during this period will make achieving these production targets impossible.

Agriculture Minister Mohammed Aminur Rashid claimed that there is no fertiliser shortage in the country. He told Bonik Barta, “To me, this feels like a conspiracy. Complaints that there’s no fertiliser are coming in, yet when magistrates and the administration visit, it turns out there’s a surplus even after distribution, with no buyers left. In some districts, we’ve allocated more compared to the previous year, yet complaints that there’s no fertiliser keep coming. The administration is working on it, and strict measures are being taken against those creating artificial crises.”

Stating that complaints of fertiliser shortages are more prevalent in border districts, the minister added, “We provide higher subsidies compared to neighbouring countries, which is why our prices are lower than theirs. But we don’t have any information indicating that fertiliser is being smuggled. The BGB has been instructed to remain vigilant along the border.”

Correspondents from Kushtia, Rangpur and Rajshahi assisted in providing information for this report.