By Laxman Kafle, Kathmandu, July 2: The supply of chemical fertilisers across the country has eased after the relaxation of the prohibitory order.

The Agriculture Inputs Company Limited (AICL), the state-owned chemical fertiliser supplier, stated that there was no problem in the transportation of fertilisers after the prohibitory order was relaxed.

Rajendra Bahadur Karki, information officer of the AICL, said that chemical fertilisers are being supplied easily to all provinces and districts as there was no restriction in the transportation of agricultural products.

The AICL and the Salt Trading Corporation (STC) have been importing fertilisers and distributing them to the farmers at a subsidised rate through cooperatives across the country.

It is seen that it will be easier for the consumers to get the fertiliser as the vehicles are plying on the road on the basis of odd and even numbers. Due to the prohibitory order, farmers were unable to get chemical fertiliser till last month.

No crowd to buy fertiliser

“As per the information received from the concerned districts, there is no crowd of people at the cooperatives and AICL offices to get fertilisers at present. Last month, they were crowded as more people visited the cooperatives and AICL office to get fertilisers fearing shortage,” he said.

Karki said that there was enough stock of fertilisers in all its 40 outlets to meet the demand for the paddy plantation season. He also said that they were selling fertilisers through about 5,000 cooperatives affiliated to all the offices.“We are supplying fertilisers to the cooperatives running in the districts based on their demand and paddy plantation area. We stop the supply where the plantation completed and reduce the supply where the plantation is near completion,” he said.

Almost 80 per cent plantation has completed in Dang, Chitwan and Dhangadi and the plantation is near completion in the hilly region, he said. There was no need to supply an additional amount of fertiliser to the hilly region as the present stock of fertiliser with the cooperatives there is enough to meet the demand.“The paddy plantation will continue in different districts of the Terai region till mid-August. So, our plan is to keep stock targeting these areas,” he said.

He claimed that there will not be a crisis of fertilisers across the country as about 30,000 tonnes of urea imported through global tender has started entering Nepal.

Joshi Biz, a Nepali supplier, is supplying the fertilisers. Out of 30,000 tonnes being imported, around 17 trucks carrying the urea entered the Jogbani customs and the rest are in transit which is expected to enter Nepal shortly, Karki told The Rising Nepal.

At present, the AICL has 17,000 tonnes of urea and 22,000 tonnes DAP in its stock. AICL sold about 38,300 tonnes of urea and 26,800 tonnes of DAP in the last one and a half months, he said.

Karki also informed that about 5,000 tonnes of remaining urea purchased from Bangladesh through GTG would enter Nepal in a few days. As per the agreement reached between the governments to purchase 50,000 tonnes of urea, about 47,000 tonnes has already arrived in Nepal. Apart from 50,000 tonnes of urea, Bangladesh will provide additional 2,000 tonnes to Nepal.

He, however, said that it was a must to take the further initiative from the government and concerned bodies at the earliest to manage additional fertilisers targeting the wheat season.

Similarly, the STC has also selling fertilisers to farmers through cooperatives and it also has sufficient stock. Kumar Rajbhandari, information officer of STC, said that STC has around 21,000 tonnes of fertilisers in its stock.

Around 12,100 tonnes of urea and 8,400 tonnes of DAP have been sold by STC in the last one and a half months, he said.