Damauli, September 11

Tanahun district has been facing acute shortage of urea fertiliser for the past few days after its supply was disrupted due to indefinite shutdown in Tarai.

Bir Bahadur Thapa of Baidi VDC walked for four hours to the cooperative in order to purchase the fertiliser, but returned empty-handed. Likewise, Him Bahadur Daire of Byas Municipality queued for hours only to return home empty-handed.

Atindra Keshari Neupane, proprietor of a shop operated by Navin Consumers’ Cooperative Limited in Damauli, said 30 sacks of urea were sold within one and a half hours. Neupane said he sold five kg fertiliser to each farmer. High demand against low supply of the product has been attributed to the scarcity.

Bal Bahadur Panth, chief at the Agriculture Materials Company Limited’s sub-branch Damauli, said his office had proportionally distributed the fertiliser to 86 cooperatives in Tanahun, Lamjung and Gorkha districts. A source at the company said they had sent the cooperatives as much as 49.5 metric tons of fertiliser from Birgunj.

Netra Bikram Chand-led CPN Maoist Tanahun district in-charge Ishwor Gauli claimed that subsidised fertilisers, meant to be sold from cooperatives in Tahaun, were being sold at black market in Lamjung and other districts. Gauli sought punishment against such traders.