Sukanta Halder

Farmers in at least five villages under Kurigram’s Bhurungamari upazila say they are living in fear of arrest and harassment after a case was filed over a protest demanding adequate fertiliser earlier this month that left the upazila agriculture officer briefly confined by an agitated crowd.

The Insurance Development and Regulatory Authority (IDRA) will take stricter measures against non-complying distressed insurance companies, its chairman has said.

Higher import costs are likely to be passed on to consumers

A total of Tk 37.54 crore in insurance claims has been paid to 8,417 policyholders of seven troubled life insurers in two phases under an initiative of the Insurance Development and Regulatory Authority (IDRA).

For Rasel Hossain, this year’s Aus harvest should have been a source of relief. Instead, the farmer from Uttargram village in Naogaon’s Mohadevpur upazila is counting his losses.

Alleged collusion among dealers and retailers to hike fertiliser prices by “creating an artificial shortage” through hoarding and supply control is causing discontent among farmers, according to a report prepared by the Special Branch of the police.

A crude oil tanker of Bangladesh Shipping Corporation (BSC), MT Ninemia, arrived at Chattogram port from Saudi Arabia on Saturday.

Bangladesh has enough fertiliser, the government says. Dealers say they have stocks. Yet farmers in several districts say authorised dealers are refusing to sell or capping them at one sack, forcing many to buy from unauthorised sellers at inflated prices.