[🇧🇩] Agriculture in Bangladesh

Retail profiteering should not hurt boro farming

THE fuel crisis that has loomed large owing to the US-Israel war on Iran and subsequent disruption in the passage of oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz appears to have caused concern for rice farming. Farmers in several districts keep, as New Age reported on March 12, struggling to get diesel for the irrigation of boro rice. The Department of Agricultural Extension brushes aside any chance of disruption in boro irrigation as long as the national reserve is not destabilised. A ranking Department of Agricultural Extension official says that field officials have not so far reported any problems in boro irrigation because of diesel shortage, noting that farmers have already planted boro seedlings on about 97 per cent of the targeted 5.05 million hectares in the 2026 financial year. Despite official assurances, farmers in several districts say that they are struggling to get diesel for irrigation. Reports from the south-west say that farmers have faced disruption for a few days as filling stations and retailers have restricted diesel sales, coming down to two litres a farmer a day against the earlier 10 litres that could be bought from a filling station. Reports from the north come up with a similar situation.Energy & Utilities

Farmers in the north say that they need to pay higher prices for diesel. Whilst a farmer can buy five litres of diesel a day, some retailers charge them an additional Tk 5–10 a litre against the government’s selling price of Tk 100 a litre. About 30–35 per cent of the boro farmland of the targeted half a million hectares in the Rangpur region is said to be dependent on shallow irrigation pumps. Retailers are reported to be charging farmers an additional Tk 5–10 a litre. The situation is further concerning in the Rajshahi region, where diesel is retailed to farmers for Tk 115–120 a litre. All this happens despite there being no major reasons to worry about diesel stock. Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation officials say that the current stock of 300,000 tonnes, which would roughly last for a month, is improving, with the release of about 180,000 tonnes having begun at the Chattogram port on March 10. The proposition suggests that the diesel shortage that is hampering irrigation at the local level is artificial. The minister for agriculture, however, says that the government is working to attend to the problem. Experts believe that the government should prioritise diesel supply to farmers.

The government should, in such a situation, strengthen oversight to stop retailers from cashing in on the situation to make windfall profits. The government should also act to stop any misuse or abuse of the rationing of fuel oil that it decided a few days ago to tackle the probable energy crisis.​

War in Iran a threat to agriculture

Atiqul Kabir Tuhin
Published :
Apr 02, 2026 00:09
Updated :
Apr 02, 2026 00:09


Farmers fear a massive loss as their fields run dry due to lack of irrigation —Photo: Collected

Amid the unprecedented disruption in global oil and gas supplies due to lingering war in the Middle East, problems in the transport sector and concern over energy security are dominating the headlines. However, a parallel crisis is quietly unfolding in a vital sector of the national economy - agriculture.

The war came at a time when the farmers in Bangladesh started Boro cultivation, the country's largest and most productive rice season. Typically harvested from April to June, Boro rice requires intensive fertilisation as well as irrigation. However, farmers are now facing a double whammy: shortages and rising prices of fertiliser, along with disruptions to irrigation due to a lack of diesel.

A recent news report gives a shocking picture of farmers fearing heavy losses during the current Boro season - not because of the vagaries of nature, but due to the whimsical and reckless decisions of distant, war-mongering leaders. A farmer named Abdur Rahman Gazi in Dumuria upazila of Khulna fears a decline of up to 50 maunds in his paddy yield this year due to inadequate irrigation on his two bighas of land. His plight starkly illustrates the devastating impact of the war on Bangladesh's rice fields.

As the authorities have restricted the sale of fuel in canisters or bottles to curb hoarding, farmers are left in difficult situation over securing diesel for irrigation. Even when fuel oil is available in the open market, it comes at exorbitant prices, well beyond the reach of marginal farmers. Consequently, thousands of farmers like Rahman now stare at a massive loss as their fields run dry due to lack of irrigation.

It raises a troubling question: why are those who sustain the nation's food supply being sidelined when it comes to access to fuel oil? The economic hardship that farmers will face as a result of crop failures is undoubtedly a matter of grave concern, but the more ominous aspect of this development is its likely disastrous impact on the nation's food security. Unless an adequate supply of diesel is ensured for irrigation, the consequences will not only be borne by individual farmers but will also ripple through the market and, ultimately, affect every household.

Meanwhile, the war in Iran has disrupted global oil and gas supplies, particularly through the Strait of Hormuz, causing global energy prices to spike. This shock has cascaded into the fertiliser sector, where natural gas is used both as feedstock and as an energy source for producing nitrogen-based fertilisers. Bangladesh has already shut down four of its five fertiliser factories amid a severe gas shortage.

The Ministry of Agriculture reportedly has a stock of 1.8 million tonnes of fertiliser against an annual demand of 6.9 million tonnes. Around 80 per cent of the country's fertiliser needs are met through imports. However, imports are becoming more expensive as global production declines and prices surge, raising concerns about ensuring sufficient supply for the upcoming Rabi and Boro seasons.

Nearly half of the world's traded urea, along with large volumes of other fertilisers, is exported from Gulf countries via the Strait of Hormuz, leaving global agriculture highly vulnerable to any disruption. Al Jazeera reports that urea export prices from the Middle East have surged by around 40 per cent, rising from just under $500 to over $700 per metric tonne as of last Friday-nearly 60 per cent higher than this time last year.

The Chief Economist of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Máximo Torero, recently warned that the ongoing disruption to the Strait of Hormuz is triggering one of the most severe shocks to global commodity flows in recent years, with significant implications for food security, agricultural production, and global markets. He singled out Bangladesh as one of the South Asian countries facing the most immediate impact, alongside India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. He also warned that unlike the 2022 Russia-Ukraine crisis, when countries were able to find alternative sources from the Gulf, this time such alternatives may be far more limited, since the Gulf itself is at the heart of the problem.

Against this backdrop, proactive policy measures from the government are imperative. First, domestic gas allocation must prioritise fertiliser production over competing uses, such as CNG-run vehicles or cooking, to safeguard food security. Simultaneously, the government should closely monitor global markets and support the private sector in timely imports of fertiliser to prevent shortages.

Second, the Ministry of Agriculture must ensure strict market monitoring to prevent hoarding and black marketing. Experience shows that unscrupulous traders exploit such situations. Recent reports indicate that although the government has fixed the price of a sack of urea fertiliser at Tk 1,250, farmers are paying between Tk 1,450 and Tk 1,460. A similar situation exists for DAP fertiliser, with an extra Tk 200 charged per sack. Farmers allege that dealers are creating artificial shortages to hike up the prices. The problem is not limited to fertiliser alone. Rising costs of pesticides and other agricultural inputs are also forcing many farmers to reduce cultivation.

Over the years, the agriculture sector achieved brilliant successes in terms of research and development of new strains of crops and crop diversification, brining the country close to achieving self-sufficiency in food production. These achievements of the sector not only contributed to the relative economic stability of the country but also to an increased calorie intake of the people thereby helping poverty alleviation. Quality seeds, fertilizers and pesticides are some of the most fundamental inputs that the agricultural sector hinges upon. Slightest compromise on the question of these vital inputs is therefore suicidal for the country.​

Even a switch to maize fails to save many farmers
Storm and rains in March damaged potato, maize, vegetables and Boro across the country

Sukanta Halder and S Dilip Roy


Nurjahan Begum sits in her storm-damaged maize field at Char Gobardhan of Lalmonirhat, wiping away tears. She said storms and heavy rain in March destroyed 60 percent of her crop. The photo was taken on March 27 at Aditmari upazila. PHOTO: S DILIP ROY

Storms and heavy rain last month damaged a range of crops, including maize. For maize farmers, it was a cruel blow, as many had turned to the cereal after repeated losses from low potato prices.

In northern districts, maize acreage has expanded gradually in recent years.

Farmers were encouraged by demand from the poultry and livestock feed industry, where prices are usually stable. For many, maize seemed a safer option.

This season, the cereal has been cultivated on about 1.27 lakh hectares across five districts of Rangpur region: Lalmonirhat, Kurigram, Rangpur, Nilphamari and Gaibandha, according to the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE).

The department says the rains in March damaged 520 hectares. The hit was particularly severe in the char areas.

For Nurjahan Begum, the damage was devastating. She cultivated maize on 1.5 bighas of land in Char Gobardhan on Teesta river. The 60-year-old from Aditmari upazila in Lalmonirhat said around 60 percent of her crop was destroyed by the storm.



Having lost much of her investment, Begum fears she may have to take out loans to continue farming.

In its assessment covering 18 districts, the DAE ranks maize as the second-worst-affected crop after potato. Banana and vegetable growers, as well as a number of Boro farmers, have also reported losses.

Potato growers were already under pressure from throwaway prices before the storms hit.

Rafiqul Islam, 45, from Barunagaon at Thakurgaon Sadar upazila, cultivated potatoes on 12 bighas at a production cost of about Tk 11 per kilogramme. Since the harvest began, prices have hovered between Tk 8 and Tk 9 per kilogramme.

After the rains, the rates rose slightly to Tk 13 per kilogramme. But Islam could not benefit. Heavy rain and waterlogging in mid-March left about 40 percent of the crop on four bighas rotting in the soil. The fields became too muddy to harvest.

Md Jamal Uddin, additional director for monitoring and implementation at the DAE field service wing, said they are currently compiling a list of affected farmers. Once the listing is complete, the government will decide on the support measures.

The DAE estimates production costs for potato varieties such as Asterix, Diamond and Granola at Tk 16.64 per kilogramme this season. Over the past month, field prices were somewhat stuck at Tk 8 to Tk 9 per kilogramme, well below the production costs.

In a statement yesterday, Bangladesh Khetmajur and Krishok Songothon, a platform representing landless labourers and small farmers, urged the government to act swiftly.

“Every year, crops are damaged due to various natural disasters. But there is no permanent system for crop compensation. We have been demanding the introduction of crop insurance for a long time,” it said.

“We expect the government to take steps to introduce crop insurance for farmers affected by natural disasters. In addition, we strongly demand the immediate listing of farmers affected by the storm and their compensation.”

Earlier, the Bangladesh Cold Storage Association called on the government to include storm-hit potato farmers in an agricultural rehabilitation programme.

In a letter to the Ministry of Agriculture on March 25, the association said early storms and heavy rain in the first half of the month had severely affected major potato-growing districts.

Waterlogging during the harvest period caused extensive damage to potatoes left in the fields, as well as crops yet to be harvested, the letter said.

Even those who managed to harvest face losses. Poor quality has made much of the crop unsuitable for storage, forcing farmers to sell at Tk 5 to Tk 6 per kilogramme, well below prevailing market rates, according to the association.​