Sources at the regional office of Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) at Rangpur said total demand for urea in Kurigram, Lalmonirhat, Gaibandha, Rangpur, Panchagarh, Thakurgaon, Dinajpur and Nilphamari districts for November was 29,914 tonnes but the allotment from different fertiliser factories and government godowns was 15,032 tonnes. The whole allotted quantity could not be lifted by dealers due to blockade by certain political parties, interruption in production at Ashuganj fertiliser factory and non-arrival of the item imported by the government, he said. The situation is unlikely to improve in the current month because the present stock of around 5,258 tonnes will be exhausted in days, he added. November and December is the peak season of Irri-Boro and Rabi crop cultivation but in many markets farmers were seen queuing at dealers' shop for fertiliser.

The sources said DAE has fixed a target to bring 6,40,319 hectares under Irri-Boro cultivation, 1,05,195 under potato and 45,550 hectares under other vegetables, 1,59,347 under wheat, 38,000 under maize, 26,249 under mustard seeds in the eight districts.

It was gathered from different sources that a 50kg bag of urea was selling at Tk 360 to Tk 380 in retail markets against the government fixed price of Tk 265. Dealers said they can not sell the fertiliser at Tk 268 because they have to bear heavy transport costs after lifting the item at Tk 240 at the mill gate.

This correspondent talked to a number of retail sellers at Sakoa market in Panchagarh, Taraganj market in Rangpur, Pakerhat market in Dinajpur and Patgram market in Lalmonirhat district. They said they are compelled to sell urea at prices up to Tk 380 per bag because they buy it at Tk 330 to 350 from dealers.

Nilphamari district unit president of Bangladesh Fertilizer Association (BFA) Abdul Wahed said the crisis was created by sudden suspension of urea production at Ashuganj fertilizer factory in Brahmanbaria due to mechanical problem. Besides, there is deficit, which has to be met by import, he added.

Pijush Roy, a big fertiliser dealer in Nilphamari, said he could not lift his quota last month from Tarakandi fertiliaer factory in Jamalpur due to blockade by political parties. He also blamed enhanced transport cost. He said truckers now demand Tk 12,000 for a trip from Tarakandi, which was only Tk 6,000 three to four months back.

Farmer Nitai Pado in Saidpur said he prepared three bigas of land for cultivating potato and one bigas for Boro. But he could not sow seeds due to urea crisis.

District BFA president Abdul Wahed however denied the allegation that dealers were creating the artificial crisis by storing fertiliser. said that if this crisis is not tackled immediately then the situation wou

DAE Deputy Director in Nilphamari Shakhawat Hossain claimed that the urea crisis was created mainly by the blockade.