Jhapa, Feb 6 : Jhapa is the largest tea producing district of Nepal. Tea farming and estate is densely found here.
Thousands of farmers and labourers are relying their life sustenance on tea farming. But, the government has been turning deaf ear to address the challenges facing the sector, local tea producers accused.
General-Secretary of the Nepal Tea
Producers Association Shiva Kumar Gupta said the government had not been
providing chemical fertilizers for tea farming since 2021. Nepal has been
annually earning millions of foreign currency by exporting tea produce.
He voiced his complaint that the
tea producers had been compelled to import chemical fertilizers adopting
illegal ways when the government stopped making its proper arrangement.
Those involved in tea production
expressed their ire at the government for showing apathy towards providing
chemical fertilizers for tea farming.
The tea produces had been asking
for the government facilitation in accessing chemical fertilizers. Chemical
fertilizers such as Urea, DAP, Potassium and Ammonia Sulfate are required for
tea estate.
Gupta said the government used to
distribute fertilizers before 2020. Since then, tea farmers had not received
chemical fertilizers on quota, he added.
Tea producers also urged the
National Tea and Coffee Development Board to take initiatives for addressing
the issues related to chemical fertilizers. They also asked the agencies,
including Agriculture Knowledge Centre, Agriculture Inputs Company and Salt
Trading to play coordinating role in addressing the gaps.
Gupta said that fertilizers can be
provided to small tea producers by registering cooperative dealer and to the
big tea companies by stipulating quota through federal or provincial
governments.
Tea farming is being done in an
area of 10,500 hectares of land in the district. It annually needs 1,500 metric
tons of chemical fertilizers, said Chief of National Tea and Coffee Development
Board, Regional Office, Birtamodh, Indra Adhikari.
The government was not paying any
heed to their demand for chemical fertilizers, commented Joint-Secretary of Tea
Producers' Association Binaya Kumar Goyal.