2 fertiliser dealers held for black marketing

Two fertiliser dealers of Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation (BCIC) were arrested at Gopalpur and Basail upazilas in the district yesterday and Tuesday for selling fertilisers on the black market.
They are Shafiuddin Ahmed, a dealer of Basail upazila sadar, and Gobinda Chandra Saha, a dealer of Jhaoail Bazar in Gopalpur upazila in Tangail.
Acting on a tip off, Basail Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Khalid Ahmed detained Shafiuddin Ahmed at around 10:00am yesterday when he was selling the Dye Ammonium Phosphate (DAP) fertiliser to the farmers at higher prices, upazila administration sources said.
Later, the UNO handed over the fertliser dealer to Basail Police Station.
The arrested fertiliser dealer was selling a sack of DAP fertliser at Tk 1,520 whereas the government fixed rate is Tk 1,120, Mohammad Abul Khaer, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Basail Police Station, said.
Gopalpur police arrested Gobinda Chandra Saha, a BCIC fertiliser dealer of Jhaoail Bazar in the upazila, on Tuesday for selling urea fertiliser on the black market, upazila administration sources said.
Earlier, upazila Agriculture Extension Officer Azharul Islam Siddiqui filed a case against the fertliser dealer with Gopalpur Police Station in this regard.
Ekhlas Uddin Ahmed, officer-in-charge (OC) of Gopalpur Police Station, told The Daily Star that the fertliser dealer was arrested as
He had sold four tonnes of urea fertliser allocated for the post-flood rehabilitation programme in the upazila on the black market instead of distributing it to the farmers.
The farmers of different upazilas in the district have alleged short supply of government control urea fertiliser and higher prices of Dye Ammonium Phosphate (DAP), Murate of Potash (MoP) and Single Super Phosphate (SSP) fertlisers during the peak Rabi crop including mustard cultivation season.
Tangail AED Deputy Director Mohammad Hakim Uddin admitted inadequate supply of phosphate and potash fertilisers.
He however said, "There is no scarcity of urea fertiliser in the district. There is 4,000 tonnes of urea in our storage and already received allocation of 6,884 tonnes for the current Rabi crop season, which is enough to meet the demand."