December 9: With the harvesting of the paddy over, farmers are preparing to cultivate wheat in Parsa. They are, however, struggling to sow the wheat due to shortage of fertiliser and improved seed. 

While farmers have tilled the land are almost ready to sow the winter crop, shortage of fertiliser and improved seed has hit the snag. Scarcity of Di-ammonium Phosphate (DAP) is pervasive at the time to sow the wheat crop in the district.

Earlier, the government had fixed fertiliser quota to every district and delegated the responsibility to Agriculture Material Company Limited and Salt Trading Corporation to distribute the vital plant nutrient. 
 

Both company and corporation distribute fertilizer to the farmers through agriculture cooperatives at the recommendation of local levels. An agriculture cooperative said that it had not been able to distribute fertilizer due to manure crunch. 
“We have been distributing fertilizer provided to us to the farmers”, said Proprietor Hari Shankar Mahot of Young Star Cooperative located at Birgunj Metropolitan City-28.  

Farmers lamented that they are having a hard time cultivating wheat crop for lack of vital inputs. “We used to import fertilizer the Indian market in the past. But, police personnel have barred us from purchasing the plant nutrient from Indian market this year”, complained Ram Balak Chaurasiya of Birgunj-16. 

Not only fertilizer, farmers are experiencing the crunch of improved wheat seed as well. 
 Meanwhile, Pradip Yadav, newly-elected member of the House of Representatives from Parsa-1, visited the offices of Regional Agriculture Material Company Limited and Salt Trading Corporations in Birgunj and held discussion with officials to provide fertilizer to the farmers at the earliest.