Thousands of fertilizer-starved farmers yesterday barricaded the Satkhira-Khulna highway for four hours in demand of urea during the peak season of IRRI-boro cultivation.

Meanwhile, Deputy Minister for Industries Abdus Salam Pintu told journalists yesterday that there is no fertilizer crisis in the country.

SATKHIRA
About 2,000 farmers yesterday blocked the Satkhira-Khulna highway from 12:00pm to 4:oopm causing a long traffic jam.

The barricade was withdrawn when Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Rakibul Hawlader met with the farmers at the barricade and assured them of adequate fertilizer supply.

Sathkhira district Awami League president expressing solidarity with the demand of the farmers went to the barricade and announced that the deputy commissioner's (DC) office will be surrounded tomorrow in demand for supply of fertilizer, fuel and electricity.

Meanwhile, Juba Dol leaders of Tala Upazila led by their local president Hafizur Rahman snatched 26 sacks of urea from a union parishad member to distribute among pro-BNP farmers, reported our Satkhira Correspondent.

Besides, the Juba Dal activists forcibly bought 191 sacks of fertilizer at about 11:00am from three shops named Kapatakkha Enterprise, Bharoti Enterprise and Agrani Traders in Patkel Ghata area under the upazila.

At that time the Juba Dal activists assaulted the district Krishak League president Bishawjit Sadu and also chased the upazila agriculture officer Sattya Ranjan Sarkar.

MYMENSINGH
The police arrested four persons including a local fertilizer dealer and a truck driver from Dhanikhola village in Trishal Upazila at 8:00pm Thursday while they were smuggling 120 sacks of urea allotted from Trishal for Jamalpur district.

The police raided Dhanikhola Bazar and arrested the four -- Idris Ali, 45, a fertilizer dealer, Hafizul Islam, 26, a truck driver, Habibur Rahman, 40 and Korban Ali, 40. The sacks were being passed to Melandah upazila in Jamalpur district as a severe crisis has gripped the district raising the price of fertilizer over Tk 100 a sack, said the police.

'NO FERTILIZER CRISIS'
State Minister for Home Affairs Lutfozzaman Babar and Deputy Minister Pintu yesterday visited Badamtali and Aminbazar river-ports, where about 40,000 metric tons of fertilizers are stocked.

The ministers talked to Truck Drivers and Owners Union and labour leaders to ensure immediate transportation of fertilizers to the northern districts.

"We have sufficient amount of fertilizers in stock and have sent the necessary amount to the northern districts already," Pintu said while visiting the two river-ports in the capital.

The northern districts need a total of nine-lakh metric tons of fertilizer in the January-March season and the government has already sent seven lakh metric tons, which is sufficient for January and February, Pintu said.

"We will sent one lakh metric tons more for March in the next five days," he added.

Terming the fertilizer crisis as a 'rumour', the deputy minister said some retailers spread the rumour about the crisis. "The farmers are trying to collect fertilizers for March thinking there would be a shortage next month," he said.

Admitting that there is a transportation crisis for carrying the fertilizers to the northern districts, Babar told journalists that the government sought help from Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC) in solving the crisis and the BRTC authorities have agreed to give 100 trucks.

Babar said the Highway Police and Rapid Action Battalion have been asked to cooperate with the truck drivers to solve their problems.

The truck drivers' union leaders said they had a crisis of trucks last week as Sona Masjid and Hili land-ports were closed. "Besides, trucks have no entry into the capital during the day hours, which also delayed the transportation," said Mohammad Asad Ullah, vice-president of Bangladesh Inter-district Truck Drivers' Union.

About 15,700 metric tons of fertilizers are stocked at Amin Bazar river-port and they had dispersed 72 trucks to the northern districts till 5:00pm yesterday, Asad said.