KATHMANDU, Sept 1: Although the government had assured farmers of an adequate supply of fertilizers for this year’s main rice plantation season, it has failed to fulfill its commitment. Farmers continue to struggle as the government delays the distribution of this essential agricultural input.
With the rice plantation season nearly over along with the monsoon, Minister for Agriculture and Livestock Development Ram Nath Adhikari has urged farmers to wait for a few more days to get fertilizers. “In the next 7–10 days, farmers will have easy access to fertilizers that are being imported from Kolkata, India,” the minister said while addressing a program in Kapilvastu on Sunday.
It has already been over two weeks since the state-owned Salt Trading Corporation announced that 1.523 million sacks of chemical fertilizers had reached Kolkata port and would soon be transported to Nepal. The corporation reported that it purchased 440,000 sacks of urea and 1.083 million sacks of diammonium phosphate (DAP), which it has started storing in its warehouses.
Farmers begin paddy plantation despite shortage of chemical fer...
Prime Minister KP Oli also assured farmers through social media on August 10, writing: “The government has paid special attention to ensure farmers do not suffer from a shortage of fertilizers. Currently, 28,824 tons are in stock, with an additional 140,504 tons on the way to the country.”
In the last fiscal year, the government allocated Rs 27.95 billion to purchase 550,000 tons of fertilizers. Including carry-over stock and new purchases, Nepal had only 393,083 tons available as of mid-June. Given the estimated annual demand of 700,000–800,000 tons, this quantity was only about half of the total requirement.
Government authorities have been blaming the shortfall on multiple factors, including provisions in the Public Procurement Act, inadequate budget allocation, delayed disbursement of funds, and issues related to contractors that have slowed imports.
According to Minister Adhikari, the country requires 1.3 million tons of fertilizers to ensure smooth supply. “However, the budget allocated this year is sufficient to purchase only about 450,000 tons,” he admitted.
Agriculture expert Krishna Prasad Poudel said the government’s indifference to the issue has left farmers struggling year after year. “This has been a perennial problem for decades, with farmers receiving nothing but false assurances,” he remarked.
For the current fiscal year, the government has aimed to purchase about 600,000 tons of fertilizer. However, only Rs 28.82 billion has been allocated for this purpose through the budget announcement.
