Allegations of Nepotism and Money Deals Surround Fertiliser Dealer Appointments in Mymensingh

Allegations of irregularities, nepotism and money transactions have surrounded the appointment of fertiliser dealers in Mymensingh, with complaints emerging from several sub-districts of the district. In some places applicants have questioned whether appointees meet the qualifications and whether the rules were followed, in others money deals have been alleged, and in some places protests have demanded that appointments be cancelled.

Dissatisfaction has appeared in Haluaghat, Gouripur, Ishwarganj, Gafargaon and Phulpur, among other sub-districts. The complaints point towards local political leaders as well as the administration. The district administration, however, says the recommendations for fertiliser dealer appointments were made following the prescribed rules.

Fertiliser dealers carry the important responsibility of supplying fertiliser to farmers, so transparency and competence in these appointments matter for the whole farm-input distribution system. Yet after the list was published, allegations about political identity, business experience, nepotism and reported money transactions came to the fore in different sub-districts.

According to the district administration, a notice was published on 31 August to appoint 156 fertiliser dealers for 145 unions in 14 sub-districts of the district. A total of 1,744 applications were submitted. After screening, the list of new dealers was published on the agriculture ministry's website on 9 October, finalised on the recommendation of the district fertiliser and seed monitoring committee and the approval of the central management committee. Appointees have initially been given temporary dealerships, to be made permanent after three months if their performance is satisfactory.

In Haluaghat's Shakuai union, other applicants and local traders objected to the appointment of retail fertiliser seller Hosain Ahammad Salman as a dealer, alleging the prescribed rules were not properly followed. Local trader Sumon Sarkar claimed Salman was already involved in retail fertiliser sales and asked how he could be newly appointed, calling for an investigation.

Salman said he has run the business since his father's death in 2008 and claimed he had withdrawn his retail dealership before receiving the new one, though he could not show proof of that. The recently departed Haluaghat agriculture officer Mahbubur Rahman said that retail dealership had not been cancelled and no withdrawal application had reached him.

In Phulpur's Bhaitkandi union, Md. Sakhawat Hossain, owner of M/s Sadika Traders, was appointed dealer. He is a dealer for the food-friendly programme's rice and a rice and paddy trader, but local BNP leaders alleged he has no experience selling fertiliser. At a protest at Phulpur bus stand on 17 October they labelled him an Awami League supporter and demanded cancellation. Sakhawat said he was never involved with any political party and received the dealership on merit.

In Gouripur, Md. Golam Kaziel Hajat Shahi Munshi, owner of M/s Munshi Enterprise, alleged money transactions. At a press conference at Gouripur Press Club on 12 October he claimed an unrecorded trade of 15 to 20 lakh taka took place for each dealer appointment. He alleged that despite placing first in a lottery he did not receive a dealership and that winners' names were changed. The report noted that comments from those accused could not be obtained and the allegations could not be independently verified.

In Gafargaon, questions arose because the list included family members and relatives of local MP Mohammad Aktaruzzaman. His younger brother Md. Moniruzzaman received a dealership in Longair union, and his uncle Md. Moniruzzaman Jasim received one in Usthi union. The MP replied that appointments were made after checking political sacrifice, business competence, required documents and warehouse-building capacity, and that his brother and uncle received dealerships on their own merit.

Lutfullahel Majed, MP for Mymensingh-8 (Ishwarganj), alleged in a Facebook post that a section of the administration took money. BNP joint secretary general Syed Emran Saleh Prince alleged in a 9 October Facebook post that controversial figures were appointed dealers in Haluaghat, Dhobaura and other sub-districts. Imtiaz Ahmed, chief coordinator of civic organisation Mymensingh Mancha, said appointing more dealers on political considerations could harm the fertiliser distribution system.

What remains to be seen is whether these allegations are investigated and how the temporary dealerships are assessed after the three-month observation period. In the end, the real test of this appointment process will be whether fertiliser reaches farmers on time and at a fair price.