Fertiliser remains central to crop production, yet overuse erodes soil health, drives up costs, and contributes to pollution. The government has set fixed prices to curb black-market sales and break syndicates. Potato growers in Munshiganj, however, say they cannot buy chemical fertiliser at the official rate despite ample allocations for the district. They report paying BDT 2–11 extra per kilo for every type of fertiliser. Traders, they add, refuse sales at the government price and claim they have no stock whenever farmers cite the official rate. Farmers say this has put their potato season at risk.

The chart illustrates the government-mandated dealer-level and farmer-level retail prices (BDT per kilo) for Urea, DAP, TSP, and MOP. (Source: Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) / Ministry of Agriculture directives)

Potato farmers in Munshiganj say traders at Munshirhat market cite a shortage of fine urea to justify selling coarse urea at BDT 29–30, TSP at 37–38, DAP at 22–23, and MOP at BDT 21–22.

Farmers say some shops are charging BDT 38 for fertiliser that should cost BDT 27. A fifty-kilo bag, they add, is now BDT 550 above the official rate. Traders refuse to provide receipts, and some turn farmers away from their shops if they question prices, insisting either that no stock is available or that the quality is poor. Growers accuse all fertiliser traders and dealers across Munshirhat and the wider Munshiganj municipality of running a syndicate that keeps the market under their control.

Mia Chan Madbor, a grower from Joginighat, plans to plant potatoes on six acres this season. He said he visited Mukterpur, Hatlakshmiganj, and Munshirhat markets on Monday and Tuesday mornings to buy fertiliser, but returned home empty-handed because of high prices and claims of empty shelves.

Figures from district agriculture office show 77 dealers are registered with Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation and 144 with Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation. The agriculture department says the allocated volumes are sufficient for farmers across the district during this rabi season.

The chart compares the total quantity of urea, TSP, DAP, and MOP allocated across the entire Munshiganj District (221 registered dealers) against the specific quantity allocated to the dealers in Sadar Upazila. (Source: Munshiganj district agriculture office)

A visit to Messrs Rima Traders in Munshirhat found the owner, Anis Sarkar, selling all fertiliser types at prices above the official rate. At another shop operating under the Rima Traders name, several farmers were bargaining over prices as the owner, Md Rashed, asked BDT 37 for TSP and BDT 2–4 above the official rate for urea, DAP, and MOP.

Rashed told Bonik Barta there was no TSP in stock and that supplies of other fertilisers were also limited. Dealers, he claimed, were not releasing stock. He said he had bought fertiliser from Narayanganj at higher prices and needed to sell at a premium to recoup his costs.

The same complaints were voiced by Sharif Hossain of Messrs Mridha Enterprise and Md Salauddin of Mayer Doa Traders, who said the market lacked adequate supply and that dealers were not releasing fertiliser in line with demand. Yet BCIC dealer Md Jasim Gazi rejected these allegations, telling Bonik Barta that stock was available and more consignments were entering factories. “Those saying we don’t supply fertiliser are not telling the truth,” he said.

District Commissioner Syeda Nurmahal Ashrafi said irregularities in fertiliser sales would be addressed without delay. “Monitoring teams are active in every market across every upazila. The district holds sufficient stock. Traders who are inflating prices by fabricating a shortage will face stern action. Mobile courts are operating regularly to enforce compliance,” she said.