Officials from the Upazila Agriculture Office in Jhenaidah Sadar uncovered fertilizers and seeds designated for distribution to farmers as government incentives from a local Jamaat-e-Islami office in Jhenaidah. The inspection was carried out at the Surat Union Jamaat office in the Surat Bazar area of Jhenaidah Sadar upazila.
Reports indicate that on October 16, fertilizers and seeds allocated under the government’s agricultural incentive scheme were handed out to approximately 5,000 farmers in the presence of the Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO). However, some farmers did not receive their entitled supplies.
Late last night, farmers who were deprived of their allocations discovered that the supplies were being kept at the Jamaat office. Subsequently, they congregated near the office and initiated a protest, prompting swift action by the agriculture office.
A local farmer named Nasir Mondal revealed, “The fertilizers and seeds intended for farmers were stockpiled in the Jamaat office. Farmers listed in the official distribution records did not obtain their portion. A significant quantity of fertilizers and seeds were being hoarded there, with Jamaat leaders reportedly distributing them among their favored individuals for several days.”
Nur-e-Nabi, the Upazila Agriculture Officer in Jhenaidah Sadar, stated, “Following a tip-off, we retrieved 500kg of DAP, 500kg of MOP, 8kg of mustard seeds, and 19kg of lentil seeds from the Jamaat-e-Islami office in Surat Bazar on Friday night.”
He further mentioned, “All fertilizers and seeds were dispensed following national ID verification and farmers’ signatures on the official roster. We will probe how the supplies designated for around 30 farmers wound up stored at the Jamaat office, with legal measures to ensue after the investigation.”
Nevertheless, the leader of Surat Union Jamaat, Iqbal Hossain, contended that farmers had temporarily left their allocated fertilizers and seeds at their office, affirming that distribution among them would ensue later.
Addressing the protest outside the Jamaat office, Amir Habibur Rahman, a Jamaat leader in Sadar Upazila, attributed it to a group instigated by the union BNP leader and former chairman Billal Hossain and his party supporters.
Contrarily, Billal refuted the accusation, stating, “The assertion by the upazila Jamaat ameer is unfounded. The deprived farmers themselves discovered the stockpile and initiated the protest.”
He questioned, “They are shifting blame to evade accountability. Why would government incentive fertilizers and seeds be stored in a political party’s office?”
Local residents have demanded a thorough investigation into the matter and the equitable distribution of the confiscated fertilizers and seeds among the farmers.