Farmers complain of fertilizer shortage during wheat sowing season

SARLAHI: DEC. 26 – Farmers in Sarlahi are struggling to get chemical fertilizers for the cultivation of winter crops.

Sarlahi is considered the pocket area for winter crops and farmers accuse fertilizer dealers of creating artificial price rises, thus hampering their access to the agricultural input.

“The season is for wheat crops and farmers are not confident of getting the fertilizer for the crops. They fear whether their toil would turn futile,” said one Ram Pukar Mahato.

According to Agricultural Tools Company Limited branch office Chief Deepak Thapa Magar, 1,000 sacks of Urea and 800 sacks of DAP were imported in the district and Urea fertilizer was supplied at Rs 815 per sack and DAP at Rs 2,265 per sack.

The supplies were made to the dealers on an equal basis on the recommendation of local levels. But farmers said the chemical fertilizer provided by the government on a subsidy is being sold at an exorbitant price.

As they claimed, the products are on sale from a grocery to a pharmacy at an exorbitant price which is unaffordable for them. “The market price of Urea is 1,200 per sack and DAP is up to Rs 3, 500,” they complain. They demand prompt market monitoring from the office concerned to contain irregularities in the supplies.

The farmers accused local bodies and the District Administration Office of just becoming mute spectators to the market irregularities.

The fertilizer is being distributed from 170 agricultural cooperatives recommended by 20 local levels in the district.

-RSS