Partisan Bias, Nepotism and Financial Dealings in Fertiliser Dealer Appointments; Special Government Directive After 17 Years of ‘Deprivation’

Staff Reporter

There have been allegations of party influence, nepotism and money laundering in the appointment of fertilizer dealers. The names of BNP leaders’ wives, children, brothers and other relatives are on the list of new dealers in Rajshahi, Meherpur and Nasirnagar in Brahmanbaria. The appointment has raised anger and questions at the local level.

The complainants claim that the dealership was given through political influence. However, it has not yet been confirmed whether the truth of these allegations has been conclusively established through investigation.

A confidential report published on the recruitment process has stated that more than 47,000 applications have been submitted against the recruitment of about 5,000 fertilizer dealers across the country.

Questions have also been raised about the list of 69 new dealers in Rajshahi. Although the appointment list was prepared based on the recommendations of the District Fertilizer and Seed Monitoring Committee, the issue of political identity and family ties has come to the fore.

Citing a list of Rajshahi appointees and a review of field-level information, the report said that one of the 69 people is a Jamaat-e-Islami worker. The rest are alleged to be leaders and workers of various levels of BNP and its affiliates, or their wives, children and family members.

There have also been allegations of large sums of money being transferred in the recruitment. However, no independently verified financial documents have been found to support this allegation.

There are similar complaints about the appointment of 22 new dealers in Meherpur. Published information mentions that the appointees include relatives, including sons, brothers and nephews of BNP leaders.

According to the local administration, the list has been sent to the ministry based on the decision of the upazila-level committee. The administration has also said that if complaints are received, action will be taken after investigation.

Adnan Sadi, son of MP and Upazila BNP President MA Hannan, his brother-in-law Arak Mia and his sister-in-law Nurunnahar Akhter have been appointed as new fertilizer dealers in Nasirnagar, Brahmanbaria. This incident has sparked discontent among a section of the local BNP.

Some party leaders and activists have alleged that the party’s loyal leaders and activists were not taken into consideration in appointing dealers. At the same time, there have been allegations that dealerships were given in exchange for money.

MA Hannan denied the allegations and said that his son, brother-in-law and sister-in-law’s wife got the dealerships as per the rules. He claimed that they got the appointments because there were no eligible applicants in the three unions concerned. He also called the allegations of appointments in exchange for money as a rumor.

According to the information of the District Agricultural Extension Department, 825 people applied against 106 dealerships in 101 unions and five municipalities of Brahmanbaria. After scrutiny, the names of 292 people were recommended to the central management committee. There was a process of sending three names on priority basis for each union.

However, there have also been allegations of changing the position of names or exerting influence on the list of recommendations.

Nasirnagar Upazila Agriculture Officer Imran Hossain said that the list of applicants was vetted and sent to the district. He did not know how the final list was prepared.

Deputy Director of the District Agricultural Extension Department, Dr. Mostafa Emran, said that the names sent from the upazila have been recommended and sent to the ministry, although there have been changes in some cases. Regarding the allegations of money transactions, he said that he himself did not make any such transactions.

There are also policies regarding the participation of multiple members of the same family in the appointment of fertilizer dealers. The comprehensive policy published in November 2025 prohibits the appointment of multiple dealers from the same family.

There has also been legal proceedings in the court regarding this provision. As a result, it is necessary to verify whether the conditions of the relevant policy have been properly followed in new appointments.

A top official of the Agriculture Ministry, speaking on condition of anonymity, said, “Since the BNP government is in power, it is natural that the party will get additional benefits. These leaders and activists have been deprived for the last 17 years, so we have been instructed by the top level of the government to consider their issue. We have worked as per the government’s instructions. The field administration has also worked accordingly.”