Farmers block highway seeking fertiliser

Farmers blocked the Lalmonirhat-Burimari highway in Lalmonirhat during the peak Aman season, protesting what they described as a fertiliser shortage and an artificially created crisis.

They placed logs in front of a Bangladesh Agriculture and Fertiliser Association warehouse in Mahendranagar. The blockade lasted about an hour and ended around 11 a.m. after the administration assured the farmers that fertiliser would be distributed properly.

The farmers alleged that dealers were withholding supplies and selling fertiliser above government-fixed prices. During the protest, agitated farmers chased several Department of Agricultural Extension officials and a dealer. The group later took shelter at a petrol pump and was briefly confined there.

District Commissioner Rashedul Haque Pradhan warned that authorities would take legal action if they found evidence of a syndicate or other irregularities in fertiliser distribution.