By A Staff Reporter
Kathmandu, Mar. 5: The Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development has said that there will be no shortage of chemical fertilisers this season.
Organising a press conference on Thursday, Minister for Agriculture and Livestock Development Padma Kumari Aryal claimed that the farmers will be able to get fertiliser from now till September.
She said that 187,000 tonnes of chemical fertiliser has been distributed this year and 162,000 tonnes is in stock.
She claimed that there will be 200,000 tonnes of chemical fertiliser in stock for the coming paddy plantation season.
Out of the Rs. 11 billion budget allocated for this fiscal year to import fertiliser, 500,000 tonnes (282,500 tonnes urea, 202,500 tonnes DAP and 15,000 tonnes potash) will be imported, said Minister Aryal.
Out of this, about 339,000 tonnes has been imported and the rest is in the process of import.
Based on the sales of the last three years, it is estimated that a total of 103,000 tonnes of fertiliser will be required from July to September, she said.
The Agriculture Minister also informed that the import process will be started from this month for the supply of around 300,000 tonnes of fertiliser in the first four months of the next fiscal year with budget from the next fiscal year.
Minister Aryal said that the situation of declining production due to lack of fertiliser and farmers facing trouble has come to an end.
She said that the ministry has moved ahead with the current management as an immediate solution, easy supply of fertilsier on the basis of monthly schedule as a medium-term solution and setting up a fertiliser plant in the country for long-term solution.
She said that arrangements would be made for storage of fertiliser in all the provinces to prevent the fertiliser problem.
The supply of chemical fertiliser is not based on estimates but on the basis of facts and needs, she said.
As per the Fertiliser Distribution Management Directive of the grant, the ministry will manage budget and quota of fertiliser for all municipalities based on their demand for the next fiscal year, the ministry said.