Govt Reinstates Retail Fertilizer Vendor System

The Ministry of Agriculture has overhauled the national fertilizer distribution framework, reinstating the retail vendor system and making official identity cards mandatory for all sub-dealers.

The changes were introduced under the newly implemented Integrated Policy for Fertilizer Dealer Appointment and Fertilizer Distribution-2026, which replaces all earlier regulations.

The previous policy, formulated on November 13, 2025, had abolished the sub-dealer system and restricted fertilizer sales exclusively to appointed primary dealers. Following revisions on August 9 and finalisation on August 27, the government introduced the updated framework.

Shahnaz Akter, agricultural economist for Fertilizer Management and Monitoring at the Ministry of Agriculture, confirmed that the 2026 policy is now in effect.

Under the new guidelines, each primary dealer area will have three retail points, two of which will be operated by independent retail vendors authorised through official identity cards issued by the District or Upazila Fertilizer and Seed Monitoring Committee.

Applicants must be local residents and submit national identity card verification, a citizenship certificate and a non-refundable fee of Tk 1,000. The institutional identity cards will remain valid for two years and require periodic renewal.

Authorised identity card holders must maintain a dedicated warehouse with a minimum capacity of five metric tonnes. The warehouse must be kept separate from food, animal feed and seed storage.

The policy also prohibits multiple members of the same household from holding dealership or retail identity cards.

The ministry expects the identity card system, supported by digital oversight, to reduce irregularities in the fertilizer market and strengthen accountability across local distribution networks.