45 of 57 Fertiliser Dealers in Lakshmipur Are BNP-Linked, Veteran Traders Left Out
Of the 57 people nominated as fertiliser dealers in Lakshmipur, at least 45 are leaders and activists of the BNP and its affiliated organisations. Allegations have been raised that they were nominated as fertiliser dealers by using party influence.
The dealer appointment policy states that applicants already involved in the fertiliser business should be given priority. However, many of the nominated BNP and affiliated organisation leaders and activists have no experience in the fertiliser business. Many rejected applicants complain that despite being involved in the fertiliser business for a long time, they could not become dealers.
Advertisements were issued for fertiliser dealer appointments for Lakshmipur district's 58 unions and 4 municipalities. The application deadline was 10 September. By that time, 336 applications had been submitted.
In a letter signed on 7 October by Shahnaaz Akhtar, agricultural economist of the Fertiliser Management and Monitoring wing of the Ministry of Agriculture, 57 people were nominated as fertiliser dealers and the deputy commissioner was directed to take further action.
An analysis of the finalised dealer list shows that 45 of the dealers are leaders and activists of the BNP and its affiliated organisations. Some of them hold BNP posts, while others are leaders of Chhatra Dal, Jubo Dal or Swechchhasebak Dal. Beyond them, several are active party workers. A few also have family ties to party leaders. However, the list of those left out also includes many who are involved in the politics of the BNP and its affiliated organisations.
Under the fertiliser dealer appointment policy, an applicant must have an owned or rented warehouse with a capacity of at least 25 metric tonnes in the relevant union or municipality. The warehouse floor must be paved and above the normal flood water level. Food products, restaurant supplies, livestock and fish feed, or vegetables cannot be kept in the warehouse. Storing seeds in the same warehouse is also prohibited. Under the policy, the applicant must be financially solvent and submit a recent bank solvency certificate of at least five lakh taka.
Dakshin Charbangshi Union in Raipur upazila of Lakshmipur is a vast char area of the Meghna. As far as the eye can see, there are crop fields. As various crops including soyabean are cultivated, demand for fertiliser is also huge in this agriculture-dominated union. Aminul Aziz, general secretary of the local BNP, has been nominated as the union's fertiliser dealer. His firm, Messrs Gazi Enterprise, was not previously in the fertiliser business, according to local residents.
The firm of Gias Uddin alias Palash, general secretary of Ramganj municipal BNP, Messrs Falgun Enterprise, has also been nominated as a fertiliser dealer. His firm was not previously in the fertiliser business either. In Keroa Union of Raipur upazila, Mehedi Hasan Ainan, owner of Messrs Hasina Enterprise, has been nominated. He is the joint convener of Raipur upazila Chhatra Dal. He too had no prior fertiliser business. Amir Hossain alias Chutu, nominated in Bamni Union, is the senior vice-president of Bamni Union BNP. He too is newly joining the fertiliser business this time.
In Uttar Char Ababil Union, Md Masud Mia, owner of Mayer Doa Enterprise, has been nominated. He is the joint general secretary of Lakshmipur district Chhatra Dal. In Char Mohona Union, Fahim Bhuiya, owner of Bhuiya Traders, has been nominated. He is the president of that union's Chhatra Dal. He too had no prior fertiliser business. In Dalal Bazar Union of Lakshmipur Sadar upazila, Zakir Hossain, owner of Messrs Satata Traders, has been nominated. He is the president of Dalal Bazar Union Jubo Dal. The firm trades in rods, cement and coconuts.
In Noagaon Union of Ramganj upazila, Md Billal Patwari, owner of Messrs Abdullah Traders, has been nominated. He is the general secretary of that union's BNP. In Karpara Union, union BNP president Ahsan Habib has been nominated. In Bholakot Union, former Jubo Dal organising secretary Hafiz Ahmad has been nominated. In Saheberhat Union of Kamalnagar upazila, the nominated Md Ismail is the brother of that union's Jubo Dal convener Helal Uddin. In Char Martin Union, upazila Swechchhasebak Dal member secretary Md Gias Uddin has been nominated. Mahbubur Rahman, nominated in Char Falkon Union, is reported to be a relative of upazila BNP president Nurul Huda Chowdhury. His cousin Lokman Hossain Patari's firm has also been nominated as the dealer for Patari Hat Union. In Hazirhat Union, union BNP president Ismail Hossain has been nominated. In Char Kadira Union, Helal Uddin, the younger brother of union BNP organising secretary Borhan Uddin, has been nominated. None of them was previously involved in the fertiliser business, it has been learned.
Bahar Uddin has been selling fertiliser at Chandraganj Bazar since 2002. He applied to become a fertiliser dealer this time. But his name is not on the list of nominated dealers. Bahar Uddin said, despite doing the fertiliser business for a long time, I did not get the dealership. I applied following all the rules. But because I have no political identity, I could not become a dealer.
Local resident and union Jubo Dal leader Shahed Howlader had applied to become a fertiliser dealer in Char Kadira Union. But his name is not on the final list. He too said he has long been involved in the fertiliser business. Shahed Howlader said, the fertiliser dealer appointment policy included the matter of having a prior fertiliser business. I have been in the fertiliser business in the area for a decade. But I was not appointed. Someone who has never done the fertiliser business before has been appointed. This is sad and disappointing. In Char Martin Union of Kamalnagar upazila, that union parishad's panel chairman and upazila Jubo Dal member Tarek Rahman alias Rocky had applied. His claim is that their family has been involved in the fertiliser and pesticide business by inheritance. Their firm was previously a fertiliser dealer. But it was cancelled during the previous Awami League government. Their fertiliser business is about 50 years old. This time he applied to become a dealer but was not nominated. Tarek Rahman said, unqualified people have been appointed as fertiliser dealers. Those who have been nominated do not have warehouses. Many do not even have experience in selling fertiliser. As a result, genuine fertiliser traders have been deprived of business opportunities. He alleged that Kamalnagar upazila BNP president Nurul Huda Chowdhury traded dealer appointments for money.
However, Nurul Huda Chowdhury has denied allegations of irregularities in dealer appointments. He said, we did not interfere as a party in fertiliser dealer appointments. Everyone became a dealer on their own merit. Lokman Hossain of Patari Hat Union is his distant cousin. And although Mahbubur Rahman of Char Falkon Union is said to be his nephew, that is not true. He previously did Chhatra Dal politics and is now involved with Jubo Dal. Nurul Huda Chowdhury further said, however, our expectation too was that, in line with the policy, those already involved in the fertiliser business would get priority in dealer appointments. Aminul Aziz Badsha, nominated as dealer for Dakshin Charbangshi Union, denied allegations of political consideration in dealer nominations and said, dealer appointments were not made on political considerations. I submitted proper documents and was nominated as a dealer. Ramganj municipal BNP general secretary Gias Uddin alias Palash said, demand for fertiliser is low here. Even so, I took the dealership. There was no political lobbying for this. Bamni Union's nominated dealer Amir Hossain alias Chutu said, I have done many businesses before. I am newly joining the fertiliser business this time. I was nominated on my own merit. Kamalnagar upazila Swechchhasebak Dal member secretary Md Gias Uddin said the authorities nominated him after scrutinising the necessary documents he submitted. However, he had never done the fertiliser business before. Md Iqbal, general secretary of Bashikpur Union BNP in Lakshmipur Sadar upazila, said, no one else applied in my union. I was the sole applicant. Considering everything, I was finalised as a dealer.
When contacted about the allegations, Lakshmipur Deputy Commissioner SM Mehedi Hasan, who chairs the District Fertiliser and Seed Monitoring Committee, did not receive the call and asked for a message to be sent. A message was later sent, but he gave no reply. When asked, Zahir Ahmed, deputy director of the Lakshmipur District Department of Agricultural Extension and member secretary of the District Fertiliser and Seed Monitoring Committee, said he too had learned that the list contains a larger number of BNP and affiliated organisation leaders and activists. The upazila Fertiliser and Seed Monitoring Committee scrutinised the applications and sent a list with recommendations. That list was later sent to the Ministry of Agriculture. The ministry finalised the list and sent it back. When asked, district BNP joint convener Md Hasibur Rahman said, for the past 17 years our party's leaders and activists were deprived of various things including fertiliser dealerships. After the party came to power, many are now focusing on business and trade. That is why they applied for fertiliser dealerships. Everyone applied following the rules. The party had no influence in the nominations.
