March 22: It has already been two months since 45,000 sacks of Di-ammonium Phosphate (DAP) fertilizers have been stored in the warehouse of the provincial offices of Agriculture Inputs Company Limited. But the farmers have not received the fertilizer even after the onset of maize sowing season. The company is waiting for the distribution order from the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development for the sales of the stored fertilizer.

Pradip Kafle, a farmer from Jhumka in Sunsari, says, “Fertilizer was not available before sowing maize. The government is forcing the farmers to use inferior fertilizers from India while storing the needed fertilizer in the warehouses.”

Bhubaneswar Yadav, another farmer from Chhitaha in Sunsari, has sown maize in 6 bighas of land (3.71 acres). He has repeatedly approached the Biratnagar-based Agriculture Inputs Company Limited to get the required DAP fertilizer but has not been able to acquire it.

There are 682 farmers affiliated to his Chandrodaya Agricultural Cooperative. They need 100 tons of fertilizer for about 100 hectares of land. However, the state-owned company responsible for distributing fertilzers to the farmers at subsidized rates has been dilly-dallying the distribution of fertilizers.

This has forced the farmers to buy of fertilizer smuggled from the across the border. Now, it is already time for sowing the seeds of maize and planting sugarcane. But, the Agciculture Inputs Company has not distributed the stacked fertilizers.

Shyam Sundar Chaudhary, a farmer from Gadhi village is surprised why the fertilizer is not being distributed despite having a stock at the warehouse. The Trishakti Agricultural Cooperative, which he is associated with, has 100 farmers who own about 800 hectares of land. He is disappointed that he did not get fertilizer needed for maize and sugarcane at the peak of planting season.

The authorities keep saying they have stock of fertilizer and will be distributed it in 1 or 2 weeks. But they do not distribute. Due to this, the farmers are worried that they will have to grow the crops without fertilizers, which will result in a decline in production.

Krishna Lamichhane, the acting chief of the provincial office of the Agriculture Inputs Company Limited said that they received 2,250 tons of DAP which have been safely stored in the warehouse. He said that the fertilizer could be sold to the farmers at Rs 2200 per sack. But they cannot sell the fertilizers unless the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development grants them permission to do so.

Province 1 has a demand for about 70,000 tons of fertilizers, but only 2,250 tons of fertilizers are available. The fertilizer stored at the warehouse needs to be supplied to the 14 districts of Province 1 and to Province 2 as well. However, the distribution has not been possible since the ministry has not granted such permission.

The company said that they could not distribute the fertilizer as the Ministry of Agriculture of Province 1 has not issued any order regarding the amount of fertilizers to be sent to each district. They said that the farmers would be relieved this time if urea arrives as per the G2G agreement between the Government of Nepal and the Government of India.