The overlooked impact of inadequate rainfall and fertiliser shortages in Nepal’s agriculture sector

As long as the state undermines farmers’ plight, it cannot claim to act in the true interests of citizens.

Two Nepali farmers from the Sarlahi district were released on bail from an Indian jail on August 7 after spending 38 days in custody for allegedly ‘smuggling’ fertiliser from India. They had crossed the border to buy fertiliser for their paddy fields: a routine practice in border areas where residents regularly purchase essential goods, including agricultural inputs, from across the frontier whenever domestic supplies run short.