War-fueled diesel crunch hits Bangladesh farmers in key planting season

MANIKGANJ, Bangladesh — The fuel crunch from the Iran war is rippling through Bangladesh’s countryside, leaving tens of thousands of farmers struggling to secure diesel for irrigation at a critical stage of the paddy season.

Rice is a staple food in the South Asian nation of 175 million people and late March is a crucial window for sowing the main summer crop. But diesel shortages, rationed sales and long queues at fuel stations are disrupting irrigation, heightening concerns about plant growth, lower yields and increased losses for farmers.

Bangladesh relies on imports for 80% of its refined fuel needs with much of that coming from the Middle East. Price volatility and supply disruptions as a result of the war have squeezed supplies, but while the government has introduced measures to conserve energy and find new sources of fuel, farmers say they are struggling.

In Manikganj, near the capital Dhaka, Mohammad Yusuf walks across his land, pointing to newly sown seedlings struggling to survive in the dry soil.

“What will we eat if we cannot grow rice?” the 35-year-old said. “Paddy is our only currency. It runs our family. This fuel crisis is putting us in deep trouble.”

By day, Yusuf queues for diesel. By night, he works his land.

Service stations frequently hang banners at the pumps reading ‘No Fuel’.

“We stand in line at the pumps all day, then come to the fields in the dark to irrigate, plough, fertilize and sow,” he said. “No one has been able to work in the daytime in recent weeks — everyone is stuck in queues. Sometimes we wait for hours, sometimes whole days, and still return empty-handed.”

Even when fuel is available, it is tightly restricted.

“They give no more than 5 liters (1.32 gallons) per person,” Yusuf said. “If two or three of us go, we might manage 10 or 15 liters on a lucky day. That’s only enough for two or three days of irrigation.”

Around him, farmland is parched, and the seedlings turning yellow. Irrigation pumps sputter on their last drops of diesel.

“Look at the land — it’s drying up,” he said. “We cannot provide water properly.”

‘WE JUST WANT IT TO END’
Though the crisis originates far beyond Bangladesh’s borders, its impact is immediate.

“This war involving Iran has hit us as well,” Yusuf said. “Poor people like us suffer the most. We just want it to end so we can farm and live in peace.”

A father of two, he said uncertainty now defines daily life. “All we pray for is to work our land and feed our children.”

Pump operators say they are struggling to meet demand.

“Farmers need a lot of fuel in this season,” said Abdul Salam, a local pump manager. “We are following government guidelines, but the supply we receive is not enough.”

Not all farmers are equally exposed — for now. Osman Ali, 75, said he stocked up before the crisis intensified.

But he warned the situation could worsen. “If this continues, those reserves will run out. Then everyone will suffer.”

Across rural Bangladesh, diesel-powered irrigation remains essential. With supplies strained at the start of the planting cycle, farmers fear the disruption could further push up already high food prices.

“We don’t control what happens in the world,” Yusuf said. “But we are the ones paying the price.” — Reuters