BARA, SEPTEMBER 2
Local farmers are facing the brunt of chemical fertiliser shortage in Jitpursimara sub-metropolis in Bara.
Shiva Kumar Karki, a local farmer of the sub-metropolis, has been searching for chemical fertiliser for a week. He said he was worried because he could not get the fertiliser needed for his paddy field.
Similarly, Manju Chaudhary said the paddy produce would decrease if she could not use the fertiliser in the paddy field on time.
She added that she had searched for fertiliser at many places, but in vain.
Many local farmers are worried as even the cooperatives have not provided the fertiliser. The representatives of cooperatives said there was shortage of chemical fertiliser as it had not been supplied for the last few days.
Sana Kisan Agriculture Cooperative Vice-chair Phul Kumari Basnet said fertiliser scarcity was seen for the last few days. She added that the demand for chemical fertiliser had gone up after the farmers completed planting paddy.
Basnet said farmers could not get the fertiliser as the government did not do anything to import the required amount of fertiliser.
The government used to provide the chemical fertiliser to farmers through Agriculture Materials Company and Salt Trading Company at subsidised rate.
Basnet said that the companies could not provide the fertiliser even during the season. She added that many farmers had returned home empty-handed.
Shiva Ji Khadka at Kohlbi Municipality said that he could not get the chemical fertiliser. Many local farmers were compelled to return to their houses with empty hands due to scarcity of the fertiliser. San Kisan Agriculture Cooperative, Bara, Chairman Misrilal Sahahi said that they could not provide the fertiliser to the farmers as the companies did not provide them the fertiliser as per their demands.
Meanwhile, Agriculture Materials Company Limited, Bara, Chief Purusottom Singh said that they had been distributing chemical fertiliser in limited amount, but could not meet the demand.
Singh said that demand of the chemical fertiliser had increased of late.
A version of this article appears in the print on September 3 2021, of The Himalayan Times.
