Bangladesh’s Agriculture Ministry has dismissed reports of a nationwide fertilizer shortage as “completely rumour” and said authorities are conducting field-level operations against traders accused of creating artificial scarcity. From Monday through Thursday, dealers and businesses in Manikganj, Chapainawabganj, Rangpur and Jashore faced fines and fertilizer seizures over allegations including adulteration, overcharging and illegal stockpiling.

Additional Agriculture Secretary Ahmed Faisal Imam said 64 ministry officials, one for each district, are monitoring the situation. He said mobile courts are regularly deployed following allegations of overpricing or black-market sales, while dealerships can be suspended or cancelled according to the severity of offences. Rangpur agricultural official Sirajul Islam said some dealers were fined for failing to store fertilizer in warehouses according to government rules and for procedural violations.

Authorities fined a dealer in Saturia Tk200,000 and seized five sacks of allegedly adulterated DAP fertilizer. In Chapainawabganj, a trader was fined Tk100,000 over overpricing and illegal stocks, while Jashore authorities fined another trader over unlicensed storage. The source also reported shortfalls in stated safety-stock targets for urea, TSP, DAP and MOP, citing gas shortages as a factor.