Farmers break into Kurigram fertiliser warehouse, take 197 urea sacks

Angry farmers in Kurigram’s Bhurungamari upazila today broke into a dealer’s warehouse and took away 197 sacks of urea fertiliser amid a shortage in supply.

The incident took place around 11:00am at the dealer point of Messrs Shah Amanat Traders in Shilkhuri union.

Tap here to add The Daily Star as a trusted source

Police said the situation was brought under control after they intervened. The farmers later returned 33 of the 197 sacks of fertiliser they had taken.

Local residents and farmers said more than 200 farmers from different areas of Shilkhuri union had gathered at the dealer point since morning to buy fertiliser for Aman rice cultivation.

They said tension rose after they waited for a long time, but the dealer point remained closed, leaving them uncertain about getting fertiliser.

At one point, the agitated farmers broke open the warehouse door, entered the premises and began taking away the fertiliser.

Local residents alleged that Taifur Rahman Mukul, owner of Shah Amanat Traders, the fertiliser dealer in Shilkhuri union, did not distribute fertiliser to farmers on time despite receiving adequate allocations. As a result, resentment had already grown among the farmers.

The dealer had been allocated a total of 1,320 sacks of fertiliser, but around 340 sacks were stocked in the warehouse during the incident, they added.

Azim Uddin, officer-in-charge of Bhurungamari Police Station, said the demand for fertiliser in Shilkhuri union was around 4,000 sacks, but only 1,320 sacks had been allocated. In reality, the dealer had not even collected the full allocation.

As a result, uncertainty and anger had grown among farmers over whether they would get fertiliser, he said.

“After receiving the news, police went to the spot and brought the situation under control. The farmers had taken away 197 sacks of fertiliser. Later, through police efforts, 33 farmers returned as many sacks. Efforts are under way to recover the remaining fertiliser,” the OC added.

Speaking to this correspondent, the fertiliser dealer said, “A group of miscreants joined the farmers and looted fertiliser by breaking open the warehouse. We sell fertiliser to farmers at the government-set price according to the allocation we receive.”

He also said some farmers want more fertiliser than their allocation allows. When their demands are not met, they complain. But the government allocation of fertiliser is lower than the demand.