The farmers also threatened strong street protests quitting the paddy transplantation if the government failed to provide them with required fertilizers for the paddy crop.[break]
Farmers are facing acute shortage of fertilizers in this paddy plantation season. Though the farmers are busy in paddy fields, they are worried about their upcoming paddy harvest due to the paucity of fertilizers.
Agriculture Inputs Company (AIC) office in Surkhet said the district is falling short of 300 tons of fertilizers. The company said a total of 400 tons of chemical fertilizers are required in 14,600 hectares of cultivable land in the district. However, the company has a stock of only around 103 tons.
According to Bal Bahadur Shah, acting chief of AIC´s Surkhet office, around 35 tons of urea, 51 tons of Di-ammonium Phosphate (DAP) are available in the district against the demand of 50 tons and 200 tons, respectively.
Though the government has designated 31 cooperatives to sell the subsidized fertilizers to the farmers, 10 cooperatives are yet to receive the fertilizers for distribution. Only a total of 1.5 tons has been distributed to each of 21 cooperatives so far.
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Farmers worried by fertilizer shortage
