Agriculture and Fisheries and Livestock Minister Mohammed Aminur Rashid said on Tuesday that there is no shortage of fertiliser in the country, dismissing reports of a supply crisis as “completely baseless”.

He warned that strict action would be taken against anyone attempting to create an artificial shortage by selling fertiliser above government-fixed prices.

The minister made the remarks while speaking to reporters during a visit to agricultural institutions in Gazipur’s Joydebpur.

He said the country has sufficient fertiliser stocks, with additional supplies already in the pipeline.

Referring to allegations that some traders were charging more than the government-fixed prices, he said the government was closely monitoring the situation and would further strengthen oversight of fertiliser distribution and sales.

“Any attempt to create an artificial crisis will be dealt with firmly,” he said.

Replying to a question, the minister said there was no justification for an unreasonable increase in prices if supplies remained adequate.

“If products are available in the market and supply remains sufficient, we must identify why prices are increasing and what factors are driving the rise,” he said, urging the relevant authorities to step up market monitoring to keep the prices of agricultural and other essential commodities under control.

On agricultural research, the minister said research should be demand-driven rather than conducted merely for academic purposes.

He noted that Bangladesh’s agricultural research institutions have developed a number of improved crop varieties and technologies that are benefiting farmers.

Referring to recurring flash floods in the country’s haor areas, he said researchers had been tasked with developing an early-maturing rice variety to help farmers harvest before the onset of floods.

He said around 30 tonnes of seeds of the newly developed BRRI dhan-118 variety would be distributed in the haor region during the next cultivation season, enabling farmers to harvest earlier and reduce crop losses caused by premature flooding.

The minister also stressed the need to establish agricultural products as one of Bangladesh’s leading export commodities by increasing production and improving packaging, preservation, processing and quality control to meet international standards.

Agriculture Secretary Dr Rafiqul I Mohamed was present at the programme.

Later, the minister exchanged views with officials of various agricultural institutions and attended the inaugural session of the BARI Internal Research Review and Programme Formulation Workshop-2026 as the chief guest.

He said greater priority would be given to agricultural research funding in future national budgets and instructed the relevant institutions to focus on developing new crop varieties to strengthen the country’s long-term food security.