Shortage of chemical fertilizers has hit the Nepali market after Nepal Police and Armed Police Force tightened the border to check smuggling of Indian fertilizers. [break]
“We smuggled fertilizers from India as AIC never supplied subsidized fertilizers to us. But, even smuggled fertilizers is scarce in the market after the customs authorities tightened the border,” said Parbat Dangi, a tea farmer in Haldibari of Jhapa district.
Farmers were less dependent on AIC when Indian fertilizers were abundantly available in the market. With the limited inflow of fertilizers from the southern neighbor, farmers have become dependent on supplies from AIC.
“We have run out of stock for the first time in a decade,” said chief of AIC´s Ilam branch. With the deepening shortage, black marketeering has flourished forcing farmers to pay exorbitant prices for chemical fertilizers.
Though local farmers of Kanyam, Fikkal, Panchakanya, Pashupati Nagar, Shree Antu, and Samalabu VDCs had initiated organic tea farming, they have been compelled to use chemical fertilizers due to lack of organic fertilizers in the market, technical know how and reasonable price for tea leaf in the Nepali market.
According to National Tea and Coffee Development Board, a total of 6,038 small farmers have planted tea in 6,896 hectors in Ilam and Jhapa districts. Big farmers have planted tea in 7454 hectors in those districts.
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