No shortage of chemical fertilizer for winter crops

By A Staff Reporter

Kathmandu, Oct. 14: The government has said that there will be no dearth of chemical fertilizer for the winter crops this year as there is some stock and some is in the process of being imported.

In some districts, farmers have prepared to plant winter crops, including mustard, wheat and potatoes.

Farmers have been facing a shortage of chemical fertilizer at the time of planting winter crops frequently.

At present, the two companies - Agriculture Inputs Company Limited (AICL) and Salt Trading Corporation (STC) - have a stock of 55,295 tonnes of chemical fertilizer for winter crops, said Prakash Kumar Sanjel, spokesperson of the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development.

Among them, AICL has 5,098 tonnes of urea, 40,600 tonnes of DAP and 4,154 tonnes of potash in stock in its various depots.

Similarly, STC has 2,881 tonnes of urea, 2,393 tonnes of DAP and 167 tonnes of potash in stock.

Along with this, more fertilizers are being imported, he said.

Chemical fertilizers are imported by AICL and STC and distributed at subsidised rates to the farmers across the country. Roughly, 70 per cent of fertilizer supply across the country is done by AICL and 30 per cent by STC.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, about 80,000 to 100,000 tonnes of chemical fertilizers are required for winter crops across the country.

It includes 65,000 tonnes of urea, 20,000 tonnes of DAP and the remaining potash.

Now the companies have 55,295 tonnes of fertilizer stock. Apart from that, about 30,000 to 40,000 tonnes of fertilizer is imported.

In the current fiscal year, about 30,000 tonnes of urea was imported when the AICL called for a global tender for 100,000 tonnes of fertiliser. The fertilizer was used in top dressing of paddy.

About 40,000 tonnes of DAP is being imported, said Sanjel and added that the remaining 30,000 tonnes of urea is about to arrive at Visakhapatnam port in India.

Likewise, the Ministry has forwarded the process of purchasing fertilizers from India through the G-to-G (Government to Government) system.

The Ministry has sent a proposal to India for the purchase of 30,000 tonnes of urea, said Sanjel.

He informed that the AICL is working for advance payment to Rashtriya Chemicals and Fertilizers Limited (RCF), an Indian company as per the proposal.

He said that the fertilizer would arrive from India by mid-November 2022.

The ministry said that 30,000 tonnes of urea imported by STC is being loaded and will reach Birgunj by October 17.

An additional 27,500 tonnes of urea has been consigned. The fertilizer will arrive in Nepal by November 20, this year.

A tender for the purchase of 20,000 tonnes of DAP is in the process of being concluded.

The Ministry said that the fertilizer will arrive in Nepal by mid-December this year.  

Last year, the STC did not import fertilizer as it became expensive in the international market.