How can we expect agriculture growth in the country when the concerned officials do not take decisions on pressing issues?
At a time when farmers across the country have been reeling under an acute shortage of chemical fertilisers, more than 7,500 metric tonnes of them have been rotting under the open sky at Birgunj-based dry port for want of clearance by the concerned agencies, which imported them spending billions of rupees. A total of 7,591 tonnes of fertiliser, supplied by the UAE-based Swiss Singapore Overseas Enterprises Pvt Ltd, have been dumped at the Birgunj dry port for the last one-and-a-half years.
The quality of 7,591 tonnes out of the 25,000 tonnes of fertiliser imported is in question, and this amount has remained unattended to and left to rot in the course of customs checking. Neither the Ministry of Finance (MoF) nor the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development has paid attention to managing the imported fertiliser. There seems to be sheer lack of coordination between the two ministries regarding prompt clearance of the fertiliser, purchased by Salt Trading Corporation Limited (STC) and Krishi Samagri Company Limited (KSCL). Some two weeks ago, the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) had filed a charge-sheet against top officials at the KSCL, a fertiliser supplier and a certifying agency, for importing sub-standard DAP, potash and urea fertilisers to the tune of billions of rupees. As the fertilser has been stacked under the open sky, it has been damaged by the heat and rain.
It may be recalled that the parliamentary Delegated Legislation and Government Assurance Committee had directed the concerned secretaries and office bearers of the STC and KSCL to clear the fertiliser so that it could be distributed to the farmers during the plantation period. A month ago, the MoF had decided to hand over the fertiliser to the Agriculture Ministry, which refused to accept the decision, saying that it was too late. The Agriculture Ministry had written letters 40 times to the MoF, but the latter did not pay any heed. As the fertiliser has been dumped at the dry port for an extended period of time, its quality has deteriorated due to the dampness. The main question here, is why it took such a long time for the MoF to reply to the Agriculture Ministry? While farmers face an acute shortage of fertilisers during the plantation and post-plantation periods, prices of chemical fertilisers have soared three-fold in the international market due to lower production, high demand in the domestic markets and lingering supply bottlenecks. In this case, the Finance Ministry has made a grave mistake by not taking a timely decision to clear the fertiliser from the customs point.
The Finance Ministry owes an explanation to the public as to why it failed to hand over the fertiliser to the Agriculture Ministry in time. Had there been any kind of irregularities at the time of procuring the fertiliser, the MoF should have clearly told the Agriculture Ministry and terminated the contract reached with the supplier. How can we expect robust agriculture growth in the country when the officials themselves, who are responsible for procuring and distributing chemical fertilisers, delay in taking decisions on crucial matters? The government must take punitive action against those officials who did not take a decision in time.
Keep them safe
With the fast spread of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus across the country, the growing number of infections among the healthcare personnel (HCP) is becoming worrisome. In Chitwan, for instance, 537 doctors and health workers have tested positive for the virus in hospitals and health institutions as of Monday. The district is host to a number of big hospitals, including the BP Koirala Memorial Cancer Hospital, and two medical colleges. But the cancer hospital has seen 144 infections among its HCP and Chitwan Medical College 114 cases. While the health care institutions have so far not stopped their services, they might have to if more and more HCP fall sick.
During an epidemic, doctors and other health workers are at great risk of infection as they are dealing with dozens of patients a day. The growing number of infections among the HCP means that being fully vaccinated does not guarantee immunity against COVID-19. Given the sacrifices that doctors and health workers are making to treat COVID patients, the people would be doing great service to them if they at least followed health protocols prescribed by the government to curb COVID infections.
A version of this article appears in the print on January 26, 2022, of The Himalayan Times.
