According to sources, the dealers were supposed to deposit money on August 31 to draw urea from September 1. But none of the 668 dealers made the deposit protesting against the government decision to allocate fertiliser upazila-wise instead of the previous district-wise allocation system.

According to company sources, industry ministry on August 30 morning sent a circular to the company and to other fertiliser factories asking them to distribute urea fertiliser maintaining the district-wise allocation system.

However, agriculture ministry on the same day in the afternoon sent another order asking them to distribute maintaining the upazila-wise allocation system.

The company allocated 26,000 metric tones of urea for the month of September for distribution in Brahmanbaria, Sunamganj, Chandpur, Comilla, Kishoreganj and Netrakona districts.

Mizanur Rahman, former general secretary of Zila Saar Samity, said all the 668 dealers have refrained from collecting fertiliser from the factory. If the distribution does not run smoothly, there are possibilities of a fertiliser crisis, he added.