BHAIRAHAWA, JULY 2

Local farmers are planting paddy saplings despite the risk of coronavirus, in Bhairahawa.

Farmers started planting paddy as fertiliser was easily available.

Farmers are attracted to the government subsidy on fertiliser compared to the substandard fertilisers brought from India.

The government has given the responsibility for buying subsidised fertiliser worth Rs 9 billion to the Agriculture Materials Company and Salt Trading Corporation for the running fiscal.

The government imported seven-and-a-half lakh metric tonnes chemical fertiliser in the beginning of the fiscal.

The AMC said the process of buying, distributing fertiliser to farmers had started.

The government has decided to provide 70 per cent amount to AMC and 30 per cent to Salt Trading Corporation to distribute fertiliser to farmers. The AMC has been providing chemical fertiliser in 77 districts, while Salt Trading has been providing fertilisers in the Tarai and some other districts.

AMC has claimed that chemical fertiliser was provided to farmers. Its provincial office in Bhairahawa has also been sending fertilisers to Province 5, Gandaki, Karnali and Sudurpaschim provinces as per the demand.

Sales centre and godown have been established in Bhairahawa, Parasi, Bahadurgunj, Taulihawa of Kapilvastu, Ghorahi, Tulsipur of Dang and Gulariya of Nepalgunj.

Similarly, fertiliser has been sent to Syangja, Pokhara, Bharatpur, Kawasoti, Palpa, Gulmi, Arghakhanchi, Surkhet, Dhangadi, Mahendranagar and Doti from the Bhairahawa godown.

A version of this article appears in e-paper on July 3, 2020, of The Himalayan Times.