CHAPAINAWABGANJ, July 7 (bdnews24.com):Fertiliser supply to Nachole Uupazila in Chapainawabganj, troubled by arson and ransacking, increased but farmers Saturday said it was still way below the demand.
Army personnel patrolled different areas of the upazila Saturday. Police guard of fertiliser warehouses of the dealers was continuing. Additional deputy commissioner Sultan Mohammad Abdul Hamid and Nachole Upazila agriculture officer Abul Kalam Azad said that aus saplings had been planted on 9,600 hectares of land.
Demand for fertiliser is 1,795 tonnes for July. Ten dealers of the upazila had received most of their fertiliser. More fertiliser was on the way and there was no crisis, they said.
Farmers have a different story to tell.
Many farmers including Ataur and Raquib of Laksmanpur village under Nachole municipal area, Taslim and Tafizul of Kamar Jogdai village under Nezampur union and Nefaur and Shahidul of Mallickpur under Fatehpur union said fertiliser was not available as per demand.
They said that 15 kg fertiliser was being given against each bigha of land that was not adequate. They said that after planting of aus saplings many farmers did not get fertiliser at all. Some got only once. All were supposed to get fertiliser as per their need.
The president of Chapainawabganj unit of Bangladesh Fertiliser Association, Advocate Lutfor Rahman Firoz, said that after Wednesday's incident at Nachole fertiliser was being given in the upazila on a priority basis.
There was no crisis of urea, he said adding that the deputy commissioner had been requested to increase the allocation of fertiliser in the whole district next season so that a similar untoward incident did not take place.
Deputy director of the District Directorate of Agriculture Extension (DAE) Ashim Kumar Malakar said a meeting was held Saturday with the agriculture officers of five upazilas to find ways to avoid any untoward incident.
He said the dealers had sufficient quantities of fertiliser in their stocks.
Malakar, a member of the three-member committee formed to investigate the ransacking and arson at Nachole Upazila Parishad said that the committee had finalised the report. It would be handed over to the deputy commissioner Shahadat Hossain soon, he added.
Meanwhile, Awami League president Sheikh Hasina Saturday said that if the government failed to guarantee smooth supply of fertilizer, production would come down resulting in price hike of essentials.
In a statement, Hasina said it was the duty of the government to ensure smooth supply of fertiliser, seeds and pesticides to farmers.
Fertiliser supply to Nachole upped, farmers say not enough
FE Team | Published: July 08, 2007 00:00:00 | Updated: February 01, 2018 00:00:00
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