Due to the ongoing war in the Middle East, a severe diesel crisis has emerged in Faridpur’s Sadarpur upazila, much like the rest of the country. Farmers are in dire straits as they are unable to irrigate their lands due to the lack of diesel. Every day, farmers rush to fuel pumps and local dealers with empty drums in search of the fuel. However, diesel is not available anywhere to meet the demand. Consequently, alongside men, housewives are also crowding the fuel pumps in hopes of procuring diesel.

On Tuesday (April 7), upon receiving news that diesel had arrived at the Sadarpur Filling Station, farmers queued up from dawn, holding photocopies of their voter ID cards and empty bottles. Alongside men, many women were also seen standing in line in hopes of securing diesel.

Md. Tayeb Matubbar, a farmer from the Upazila Sadar Union who came to buy diesel, said, “I have been standing in line since after the Fajr prayers. It is 2:00 PM now, yet I have not been able to get any diesel. I must get diesel today, no matter what. There is not a single drop of water in my paddy field, and the soil has cracked. If I cannot get diesel, we will suffer a huge loss. I have to irrigate the field by any means.”

Rina, a housewife from Bhashanchar Union standing in the queue, said, “I came and stood in line at 8:00 AM, and it is now 2:00 PM. I do not know how much longer I have to wait.” She added, “We are poor people. If my husband comes, he will lose a day’s wage from his work, which is why I have come to get the diesel.”

Ayesha Begum, another housewife from Akter Char Union, said, “My husband works in the fields. Because he cannot come, I came early in the morning. If we cannot get diesel, our Boro paddy will not yield any harvest. My husband came yesterday but could not get diesel. He went home after roaming around all day. We are poor people. If we lose a day’s earnings, what will we eat?”

Tota Miah, a farmer from Char Bishnupur Union standing in the line, said, “I came at 7:00 AM. I have cultivated two bighas of jute. If I cannot water them, the jute seedlings will be ruined. I have been running around for diesel for the past few days. But hearing the news that diesel was arriving today, I have been in line since dawn.”

Jahangir Alam, Manager of the Sadarpur Filling Station, stated, “We are distributing whatever diesel we receive entirely to the farmers. We are struggling to manage the situation as the supply from the depot is low compared to the demand. Even with the police presence, it is becoming difficult to keep the situation under control.”