Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami today alleged partisanship, nepotism and bribery in the appointment of fertiliser dealers, questioning why farmers were facing shortages despite government figures indicating a surplus in stocks.
“Chaos and partisanship in the appointment of fertiliser dealers and in the fertiliser crisis are going beyond all limits,” Jamaat Secretary General Mia Golam Porwar said while speaking at a press conference at the party’s central office in Moghbazar, Dhaka this afternoon.
Many members of upazila and district fertiliser and seed monitoring committees, he alleged, had been nominated on political considerations.
“Political influence in dealer appointments has now become institutionalised,” he said.
He said clear policies govern fertiliser imports, distribution and dealer appointments, but these were being violated.
Under the policy, no family can hold more than one dealership. Applicants must be residents of the relevant union and have their own godowns and sufficient financial capacity.
“Everything has been violated, one after another,” he alleged.
Golam Porwar further claimed that ruling party MPs and leaders had divided among themselves the number of dealerships each would appoint and were awarding them in exchange for money.
He also questioned the government’s own fertiliser figures. Citing Agriculture Minister Mohammed Aminur Rashid, he said the country’s total fertiliser demand for the 2026-27 fiscal year stood at 58 lakh tonnes, while government estimates indicated stocks were about nine lakh tonnes higher than demand.
“If there is enough fertiliser against demand, why is there a shortage? Then this is a hundred per cent failure of the government in distribution,” he said.
At the press conference, Jamaat demanded an immediate investigation into the allegations and punishment for those found guilty.
The party also called for the publication of the criteria for dealer appointments, the process for preparing candidate lists and the basis for granting licences
Asked whether Jamaat itself wanted fertiliser dealerships, Golam Porwar said, “Our MPs do not distribute any fertiliser; they have no dealerships.”
“Our complaint is not why we didn’t get any or why we weren’t given any,” he added, saying qualified and genuine businesspeople should receive the dealerships.
Asked about the ongoing movement of the Jamaat-led 11-party alliance, he said Jamaat was playing a “non-violent, responsible and constructive” role.
Source: https://www.thedailystar.net/news/politics/news/jamaat-questions-fertiliser-shortage-despite-reported-surplus-stocks-4299366
