Adulterated fertilisers major cause of concern for Tangail farmers

9 November 2009, 17:00 PM

Mirza Shakil, Tangail

Paddies turn reddish and grains remain undeveloped at a field in Kazipur under Tangail Sadar upazila allegedly for use of adulterated fertilisers.Photo: STAR

Adulterated fertilisers have flooded the local markets of Tangail hampering production, causing massive loss to the farmers. Sources in the Department of Agriculture Extension said, DAE recently sent 15 samples of fertilisers to Dhaka for examinations after collecting those from different upazilas of the district and found most of the samples spurious. Local farmers alleged that traders, especially in the remote areas of 12 upazilas, are engaged in selling adulterated fertilisers to the farmers. Crop production has already reduced in the district due to application of the spurious fertilisers, shattering hopes of the growers, they said. However, sale of these adulterated fertilisers have been going on openly due to indifference of the authorities concerned, sources said. Lebu Miah, a farmer of Elenga in Kalihati upazila of the district, said he has already applied 25kg urea, 10kg gypsum and 1kg zinc sulphate in his 40 decimal amon paddy field in two phases. "Amon plants have turned reddish while the grains are yet to be matured because of spurious and substandard fertilisers," he lamented. Kazimuddin, Mozammel Hossain, Abul Miah, Siraj Miah, Haji Shamsul, Abul Kashem and other farmers of Delduar and Sadar upazilas have also made similar complaints. The agriculture officials in Gopalpur upazila recently seized 12 sacks of China TSP fertiliser from a fertiliser shop at Mahmudpur Bazar and sent samples to Dhaka for examination. The test found that the fertilisers were substandard, sources said. Jahangir Hossain, a sub-dealer at Putiajani Bazar in Delduar upazila, said farmers often complain of poor effect or no effect of the fertilisers. They have already informed this to the local agriculture officials, he added. "We have little to do as we sell the fertilisers after buying it from the dealers," he said. Agriculture officials in Sadar upazila said they were directed by higher authorities to send five samples of fertilisers to Dhaka for examinations. And we are working as per the directive, they said. A few traders, however, claimed that the farmers are not getting satisfactory result from the fertilisers as they cannot use them properly. Contacted, deputy director of Tangail DAE Haripada Ghosh told The Daily Star that at least 57 samples of different fertilisers from 12 upazilas in the district were sent to Dhaka for examination this year. "We are yet to receive the test result of most of the samples. If we find the fertilisers adulterated, action will be taken against the offenders," he said.