Dhaka: The Ministry of Agriculture has established a 'Fertilizer Management Control Room' tasked with overseeing the continuous monitoring of fertilizer supply, stock, transportation, distribution, and retail sale. This initiative aims to address and swiftly resolve any issues that may arise at the field level.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the establishment of the control room was detailed in an official order released last Thursday, signed by Deputy Secretary of the Administration-1 Branch, Md Maksudul Islam. The control room will operate from Room No. 528 of the Ministry of Agriculture until further notice, with a team comprising an officer, an administrative officer, and an office assistant across 27 designated teams.
The control room is set to function in two shifts from September 11 to September 24, with the first shift running from 8:00 am to 3:00 pm and the second from 3:00 pm to 10:00 pm. The Additional Secretary (Fertilizer Management and Materials) will oversee the operations. A primary function of the control room is the regular collection and preservation of information related to fertilizer supply, stock, transportation, and distribution from various districts and upazilas.
The control room is instructed to alert relevant authorities if there are reports of irregularities such as artificial shortages, stockpiling, black marketing, or excessive pricing. It will prioritize identifying potential shortages in any district or upazila and recommend the necessary actions. Regular communication with field-level officials is also mandated to keep higher authorities informed about the latest situations.
Complaints from farmers, dealers, transporters, and others will be accepted, with prompt actions to follow. The control room will coordinate with district administrations, agriculture departments, dealers, and other institutions during emergencies. Daily logs of the fertilizer situation, received complaints, actions taken, and significant incidents must be recorded and reported to designated authorities through daily and weekly submissions.
Additionally, the control room will verify and act on fertilizer-related issues reported in social media, mass media, or through other channels, as well as those received via telephone, mobile, email, and WhatsApp. Proper handover during shift changes is emphasized to ensure seamless operations. Moreover, fertilizer-related news from various media sources must be collected, verified, and communicated at district, upazila, and union levels to facilitate swift action.