Farmers Face Severe Chemical Fertilizer Shortage Across Nepal

Kathmandu. The lock placed by farmers at the ward office in Raniganj, Lalbandi-17, Sarlahi, demanding fair distribution of urea fertilizer has not been opened even by Wednesday. This is not just a representative incident of Sarlahi. Farmers are in great trouble due to the severe shortage of chemical fertilizers across the country during the main farming season (paddy planting and weeding season). From the fragrant fields of the Terai to the terraces of the hills, farmers are forced to wander without urea, DAP, and potash fertilizers at this time. Even though farmers line up from 4 am at local agricultural depots, they have to return empty-handed with the answer 'no fertilizer' after hours. The inability to apply fertilizer on time has caused the paddy planted in the fields to turn yellow, and farmers are worried that this will lead to a significant drop in production. In some depots, due to the scarcity of fertilizer and a large number of farmers demanding it, clashes have occurred, necessitating the distribution of fertilizer under police supervision, while most depots are closed due to fertilizer shortage.

The subsidized fertilizer distribution management system shows the stock and import status of chemical fertilizers in the country. According to the system's details, the Agricultural Inputs Company Limited (KACL) currently has 20,325 metric tons of urea, 28,000 metric tons of DAP, and 5,000 metric tons of potash in stock. Similarly, the Salt Trading Corporation (STC) has approximately 26,000 metric tons of urea, 28,750 metric tons of DAP, and 5,000 metric tons of potash in stock. During transportation (in-route), KACL has 1,223 metric tons and STC has 419 metric tons of urea coming, while KACL has 648 metric tons of DAP and KACL has 117 metric tons and STC has 548 metric tons of potash on the way.