Farmers denied fertilizer clash with cops

KATHMANDU, July 18: Farmers who have been facing an acute shortage of chemical fertilizer for the last two months vented their anger against the government and clashed with police at the fertilizer depot at Bhadrakali, Wednesday.

They had resorted to sloganeering against the government´s failure to provide sufficient amounts of fertilizer for the ongoing peak paddy cultivation season and this resulted in a brief disruption of vehicular movement in the Bhadrakali area and a clash with police. [break]

Farmers of Kathmandu Valley and surrounding districts had queued from 4 a.m. in front of the fertilizer depot in hopes of getting fertilizer for their maize and paddy crops.

Farmers in a queue. (Photo: Keshab Thoker)

Some 1,000 farmers had congregated in front of the depot, but only 400 managed to buy a 50-kg bag of urea each. The rest were compelled to turn back empty-handed.

“I have been in the capital for the last three days running from one fertilizer depot to another. Though I waited in the que for 10 hours today (Wednesday), I am now returning empty-handed as the depot has failed to provide fertilizer. The money that I brought with me to buy fertilizer is fast running out but it´s still uncertain if I will get any fertilizer,” said Bharat Sapkota of Sindhupalchowk.

The plight of Kedar Timilsina, a farmer from Dhung Kharka in Kavre district, is almost as bad.

“Like other farmers, I queued here from 4 a.m. and I feel lucky to get the fertilizer, albeit just one sack. I need eight sacks for my paddy crop,” he said.

Sarala Ghimire of Jyaki VDC, also in Kavre, has the same tale of woe. “I had to wait almost 12 hours with my two kids just to get one sack of urea. I am compelled to come to Kathmandu to scour the depots as the standing maize in my farm is started to wither for lack of fertilizer,” added Ghimire.

The Bhadrakali depot had announced that it would distribute 200 more coupons for Thursday for as many sacks of fertilizer.

A woman fainted while in queue. (Photo: Keshab Thoker)

“Though we receiving fertilizer from India for the last two weeks, there is still a scarcity as the quantity available with us is not sufficient to meet demand,” said Shashi Raj Tuladhar, acting managing director of the state-owned fertilizer importer and distributer, Agriculture Inputs Company (AIC).

Out of a total 12,500 tons of urea to be supplied to Nepal by the Mineral and Metal Trading Corporation (MMTC), AIC has procured 10,000 tons in the last couple of weeks. The first consignment of Diammonium Phosphat (DAP) from Indian Potash Ltd (IPL) is expected to arrive from next week.

The Indian firm agreed to supply 30,000 tons of DAP. According to officials, at least 150,000 tons of fertilizer is needed for the ongoing paddy cultivation season.