He said these things while speaking as the chief guest at a views-exchange meeting held with those involved in field-level fertilizer management at the conference room of the office of the Divisional Commissioner, Rajshahi, this Saturday afternoon.
The Agriculture Secretary said, like other regions of the country, Rajshahi division also currently has adequate stock of fertilizer. In addition to allocating additional fertilizer if needed according to farmers' demand, immediate measures will be taken to ensure smooth supply of fertilizer. If any dishonest businessman tries to create an artificial crisis and cause suffering to farmers, strict punitive action will be taken against him.
He said, no one involved in irregularities and corruption in fertilizer management will be spared. The government has adopted a 'zero tolerance' policy in this regard. Everyone concerned must play a responsible role to ensure that farmers get the necessary fertilizer on time and at fair prices.
Selim Khan further said that field-level visits and direct exchange programs with farmers have been undertaken across the country to prevent irregularities and corruption in fertilizer management. As part of this, field-level activities were carried out in Mohanpur upazila of Rajshahi on Saturday and exchange of views was held with farmers.
The meeting was organized with the coordination of the Ministry of Agriculture, Department of Agricultural Extension, divisional administration, district administration, fertilizer dealer representatives, law enforcement forces, and concerned officials at district and upazila levels with the aim of identifying and quickly resolving farmers' problems in getting fertilizer.
The meeting was presided over by Rajshahi Divisional Commissioner Dr. A.N.M. Bazlur Rashid. Special guests present were Director General of the Department of Agricultural Extension Abdur Rahim and Chairman of Bangladesh Fertilizer Association (BFA) Md. Mosharraf Hossain.
