Lahan, December 28

Farmers in Siraha are worried due to the shortage of fertilisers in the district.

Farmers from rural areas visiting the fertilizer depot at Lahan in Siraha have been returning empty-handed due to shortage of DAP and urea fertiliser.

Mohammad Mastikim, who came to Lahan from Govindapur of the district to buy DAP fertiliser, said he had to return empty-handed. He said his field would remain fallow if he did not get fertiliser for wheat cultivation on time.

Farmers complained that local dealers buy DAP and urea  from Agriculture Inputs Company, Lahan, and sell them at inflated prices. However, cooperatives in the district have been getting the fertiliser in inadequate quantity through the company. The cooperatives

said they were compelled to sell fertiliser at higher price to farmers as the transportation cost was high.

The company’s Lahan branch manager Chandra Prasad Chaulagain said there was shortage of chemical fertiliser in the district. According to him, the branch has only 458 DAP sacks in stock and there is not a single bag of urea fertiliser. The company stated that it had supplied 7,500 sacks of urea fertiliser and 12, 217 bags of DAP to the Lahan depot till now.

The company sells urea fertiliser at Rs 738 per sack and SAP fertiliser at Rs 2,188 per bag to cooperatives. But the cooperatives have been accused of selling fertiliser to farmers at inflated prices taking undue advantage of the shortage.