They came all the way from Kavre´s Dhungkharka VDC to pile pressure on AICL officials to immediately ease fertilizers supply. [break]
“At this time of year, we are supposed to be busy in paddy plantation and maize fields. But we were compelled to travel more than 50 km from our farms to the capital because of fertilizers shortage in this plantation season,” said Ram Prasad Sapkota, who owns nine ropanis of maize field and six ropanis of paddy field in Dhungkharka VDC.
“We are in dire need of fertilizers for the plantation of maize crop. Maize production will go down sharply if we didn´t get fertilizers on time,” Sapkota added.
Roshan Timilsina, another farmer from the same VDC, said AICL has provided only 80 tons of fertilizers in the VDC even though the demand is for 500 tons.
“Persisting fertilizers shortage is because of black marketing of subsidized fertilizers in the absence of effective monitoring system,” Timilsina added.
He said subsidized fertilizers were being sold at more than double the price set by the government. Though the government has set the price of subsidized Urea at Rs 731 per 50 kg sack, it is being sold in the market at as much as Rs 1800, he added.
AICL to provide 10 tons of Urea to Kavre farmers
AICL finally bowed down to the pressure and agreed on Sunday to provide 10 tons of Urea at Rs 731 per 50 kg sack to farmers in Kavre.
“We have provided 10 tons of Urea to the farmers for immediate purpose,” Pashupati Gautam, managing director of AICL, told myrepublica.com. He also said AICL cannot meet the demand for 200,000 fertilizers in this paddy season as it has only 9,000 tons in stock.
Gautam informed myrepublica.com that AICL would receive 57,500 tons of fertilizers - 17,500 tons from India, 10,000 tons from Egypt and 30,000 tons from Turkey - within a month.
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