By Laxman Kafle
Kathmandu, Apr. 24: The government of India has agreed to provide chemical fertilisers to Nepal under the government to government (G2G) model for coming five years.
According to secretary at the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development Dr. Yogendra Kumar Karki, India has accepted a proposal to supply fertilisers to Nepal under the G2G model.
The letter of agreement sent by India was recently received, he said. “For the first time in history, India has been ready to provide chemical fertiliser to Nepal for five years under G2G model. This is a great achievement for Nepal,” he told The Rising Nepal.
As per the agreement reached principally, India will provide around 200,000 tonnes of fertilisers, especially DAP and Urea to Nepal annually, he informed.
As soon as the agreement was reached, preparations for signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with India for the same are underway, he said.
He said that the Ministry was now preparing documents based on the agreement received from India and it would send the documents to the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs for the latter’s suggestions.
After receiving suggestions from the Ministry of Law, the documents will be tabled in the Cabinet for approval, he said, adding that the MoU would be signed between the state-owned Agriculture Inputs Company Limited of Nepal and a similar body of the Indian government.
He said that the MoU would be inked within a month, and the ministry was working to complete the process at the earliest, he said.
He said that the fertilisers to be purchased from India would be cheaper and of better quality and they would be available at the time of need in Nepal.
"Until a fertiliser factory is set up in Nepal, India will be supplying fertilisers to Nepal," he said.
"Farmers will no longer have to suffer due to lack of fertiliser during the high demand time like during the paddy plantation season, as the government will easily import fertiliser from India under the G2G model,” he said.
Earlier in 2013, Nepal had purchased only a certain amount of fertiliser from India in the G2G model. Since 2018, Nepal has been repeatedly trying to purchase fertilisers from India in G2G model, but India was denying it.
He said that commission on purchase of fertilsier will be automatically removed after importing fertilisers in the G2G model and due to this, the farmers could get fertilisers at a cheaper rate.
The government has been effortful to import fertilsiers under G2G model with different countries, including Bangladesh and India to overcome the recurring problems of the short supply of fertiliser, he said.
Of the 50,000 tonnes of fertilisers to be imported from Bangladesh in G2G model, 22,500 tonnes of fertiliser was brought in the first phase and the rest is on the way, he said.
The annual demand of chemical fertiliser in the country is 700,000 tonnes.