Farmers Struggle to Access Fertilizer Despite Availability of Stock

Farmers in Siraha district are unable to access fertilizer even though the Lahan-based Agricultural Inputs Company Limited has ample stock in its warehouse.

The delay in distribution stems from the Ministry of Land Management, Agriculture, and Cooperatives of Madhes Province not finalizing the quota and quantity of fertilizers to be allocated to local levels.

Deepraj Poudel, branch manager of the state-owned Agricultural Inputs Company Limited in Lahan, explained that the ministry must communicate the distribution quota and quantity to the local levels, which is determined based on the total cultivated land in each area.

“The distribution process is stalled because the ministry has not yet issued the necessary letter. As soon as it is received, the distribution will begin,” Poudel stated.

The Lahan-based Agricultural Inputs Company supplies chemical fertilizers to Khotang, Okhaldhunga, and Solukhumbu districts of Koshi Province and Siraha district in Madhes Province.

Poudel further noted that Koshi Province had already dispatched letters specifying fertilizer quotas, enabling timely distribution to its districts. In contrast, Siraha farmers have not yet received fertilizers, even though it is the critical period for applying fertilizers to wheat crops.

Currently, the warehouse holds 500 metric tonnes of DAP and 700 metric tonnes of urea, but the stock remains inaccessible to Siraha farmers due to the delay in the provincial ministry's decision-making process. -- RSS