January 25: Fertilizer weighing 7,591 metric tonnes dumped at the Birgunj dry port for the past one and a half years has yet to be properly managed, thanks to the negligence of the authorities concerned.    
It has been learnt that repeated calls to the ministries of finance and agriculture to manage the fertilizer have fallen in deaf ears. Lack of coordination among the ministries and other concerned authorities has made the matter worse, according to the customs office.    
The fertilizer packed in sacks imported by the Salt Trading Corporation Limited (STC) and the Agriculture Inputs Company Limited (AICL) has been dumped under the open sky. As a result, the exposure to sun and rainfall has damaged the fertilizer.    
The Delegated Legislations and Government Assurance Committee under the federal parliament had time and again held discussions and directed secretaries of the ministries and office bearers of the STC and AICL to take necessary measures in this regard, but to no avail, said officials of the customs office.    
Ministry of Finance had taken a decision a month ago to hand over the fertilizer to the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, but no effective efforts to this end seems to have been undertaken.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development has not accepted the Finance Ministry's latest decision to hand over the dumped fertilizer, saying it neglected this matter by not taking the decision on time.    
officials of the Agriculture Ministry informed the parliamentary committee that they have written letter to the Ministry of Finance in this regard for more than 40 times but their letters have not been addressed.    
The fertilizer was delivered by the UAE-based Swiss Singapore Overseas Enterprises Pvt Ltd through a tender. The consignment was brought for the Salt Trading Corporation and the Agriculture Inputs Company Limited. The quality of the fertilizer had deteriorated as it got wet due to the Amphan cyclone in the Bay of Bengal on May 16, 2020. Questions have been raised regarding the quality of 7,591 tons of fertilizer out of the 25,000 metric tonnes imported in course of customs check. This amount of fertilizer has remained unattended.    
According to the Customs Office, the fertilizer has remained unattended and neglected as the company that acquired the tender and the two state-owned corporations that imported it failed to give due attention to the consignment in time.    
The price of chemical fertilizer has increased almost by three times in the international market at present. However, a large quantity of fertilizer remains neglected at the customs office when most of the fertilizer producing countries do not want to export it citing increase in their domestic consumption.    
Experts are of the view that this fertilizer can still be used although its quality has somewhat deteriorated. -- RSS