KATHMANDU, May 21: Chemical fertilizers have started entering Nepal this year via Tatopani, the northern border crossing of Nepal with China.
About 3500 tons of chemical fertilizers have been brought in from the Tatopani border point since last week. Silk Transport Company has brought chemical fertilizers from China for Salt Trading and Agricultural Inputs Company Limited (AICL). Damodar Satyal, chief operating officer of Silk Transport Company, said that they are preparing to bring 7,100 tons of chemical fertilizers.
He said that 3,500 tons of chemical fertilizers for AICL and 4,000 tons for Salt Trading Corporation via Tatopani. He said that the fertilizer which was supposed to come some time ago was stopped due to Covid-19 and now it has come. He said that since Tatopani Customs has a capacity of 7,100 tons of fertilizer, they are preparing to bring that amount of fertilizer for now.
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He said that the rest of the manure was brought to Shigatse, China. He said that up to nine containers of manure have been brought daily via the Tatopani crossing in the last five days. He said that the Tatopani border crossing is the closest border crossing between Nepal and China, but there is a problem with the road route to Nepal. He said that if the roads are good, 50 percent of the fertilizers needed in Nepal can be brought from China. He said that the Silk Transport Company is importing the fertilizers to the government on time. He said that if the inspection process of the fertilizer at the customs is done immediately, the agricultural input can be delivered to the company within a week.
Silk company said that the chemical fertilizer was brought by train to Shigatse in China and from there to Tatapani crossing by container. Tatopani Customs Office Customs Officer Uday Singh Bista said that food, clothes, electronics and other materials are being imported, but chemical fertilizers are being imported starting this week.
Bista said that considering the recent import situation, the customs office is unable to meet the target of revenue collection. He said that the target is to collect 4.62 billion revenue from Tatopani crossing in the current fiscal year, but only 2.54 billion i.e. 45 percent revenue has been collected so far. He said that looking at the import situation at the Tatopani border crossing, at least 62 percent of the revenue can be collected.
Similarly, Anirudra Thapa, manager of Transil Terminals, who was given the responsibility of Tatopani customs management, said that eight containers of chemical fertilizers have been imported daily for the last one week. He said that recently 300 tons of fertilizers are being imported through the Tatopani crossing daily. Manager Thapa said that since the customs has the capacity to store 7100 tons of chemical fertilizers, he has requested the importing company accordingly.
Since chemical fertilizers have also been brought in from the northern border, it is seen that farmers will be able to use them on time this year. Silk got permission through a global tender called by Salt Trading Corporation to bring fertilizers from China. Fertilizers have been brought via the Tatopani border point since last year as an alternative to bringing it from India. The Tatopani crossing, which was closed after the earthquake, has been operating normally in one direction since last year. But since last May 1, the checkpoint has been operational for import and export.
