Residents and farmers of Sukandighi village in Lalmonirhat's Kaliganj upazila, seized two trucks loaded with fertilizer on Sunday night, accusing a dealer of withholding the allotted amount and diverting it for higher-priced sales elsewhere.
The incident occurred around 11 PM with locals refusing to allow the fertilizers to be unloaded until the full allocation is verified.
Kaliganj Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Sifat Anwar Tumpa confirmed the incident, saying, "I have been informed that locals intercepted the trucks due to discrepancies in the fertilizer allocation. The Upazila Agriculture Officer and police are handling the situation on-site."
The fertilizers, comprising 302 sacks of DAP and 111 sacks of TSP, were meant for Chhalbola Union under the Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC) allocation. Villagers claim that dealer Azizul Islam offloaded some of the fertilizers at Kakina market in Kakina union to sell them at inflated prices, leaving Chhalbola farmers without sufficient supplies.
Shah Alam, a local farmer, voiced his frustration, "There's already a severe fertilizer shortage and we struggle to buy even with cash in hand. Yet, the dealer diverts our allocation for profit. This has been a recurring issue. Last night, we caught trucks trying to deliver less fertilizer than what was assigned."
Despite repeated attempts, dealer Azizul Islam could not be reached for comment.
The villagers are standing firm, stating that no unloading will take place until the missing fertilizer is accounted for and delivered to the intended recipients. Police and local officials are currently investigating the matter.
