200 sacks of illegal fertilizer recovered in Gaibandha
The Agriculture Department and the administration have seized a truck with 200 sacks of fertilizer while illegally smuggling government-subsidized urea fertilizer from a buffer warehouse in Gaibandha. The truck driver has also been arrested in this incident. The truck loaded with fertilizer was seized from Kadamtala in the Bridge Road area of Sadar Upazila at around 9 pm yesterday, Tuesday (January 27).
The arrested truck driver is Mintu Mandal, a resident of Balua village in Ramchandrapur union of Sadar Upazila. According to local sources, the truck was being loaded with fertilizer from the Tulsighat government buffer warehouse and taken towards Kurigram. As the movement seemed suspicious, the locals stopped the truck and informed the Agriculture Department. Later, the Assistant Commissioner of Sadar Upazila, (Land) Agriculture Officer and the police reached the spot and seized the truck.
The seized 10 metric tons of urea fertilizer was collected by Mozaharul Islam, owner of Palashbari dealer ‘Roni Traders’. Although the fertilizers were supposed to be taken to his own warehouse as per the rules, he sold them. According to sources, Mizan, a fertilizer trader from Kabli Bazar, had bought these fertilizers and the truck was on its way to him.
Regarding this incident, the Sadar Upazila Agriculture Officer said, ‘The seized fertilizers are currently in the custody of the District Agricultural Extension Department. If the rightful ownership cannot be proven, the fertilizers will be sold to the farmers at a fair price through auction.’
