Perennial problem of fertilizer shortage hits Dhanusha

JANAKPUR: The perennial problem of fertilizer shortage facing farmers across the country has hit the Dhanusha district.

Sovit Pandit of Aaurahi Rural Municipality-3 frequented a fertilizer dealer nearby but had to return empty-handed without fertiliser. “Preparing seedbeds begins. But fertilizer shortage hits. I got fertilizer during winter wheat. But now, I am tired by frequenting fertiliser dealers,” he lamented. He is worried about how to plant the seedlings without fertilizer.

Shyam Yadav of Dhanushadham Municipality-4 is also in the similar situation. “I visited authorities ranging from the fertilizer dealer to the office of Krishi Samagri Company Limited in Janakpurdham for fertilizer. Krishi Samagri asked me to visit the dealer nearby. However, the dealer returned me empty-handed without fertiliser,” he complained.

Paddy plantation has begun in most districts of the country including Dhanusha. But farmers of Dhanusha are worried about without fertilizer.

Decreasing supply of fertiliser (Di-ammonium Phosphate (DAP) and urea) to meet increasing demand in the district has worsened the problem, said chief of the Agriculture Knowledge Center, Bechan Sah.

For the current fiscal year, 2078/79, 5,000 metric tonnes of urea and 4,500 metric tonnes of DAP were demanded for Dhanusha and Mahottari districts. But only 2,495 metric tonnes of DAP and 4,114 metric tonnes of urea have been received so far, he said.

“All stocks of DAP have been cleared. But only 55 metric tonnes of urea have remained,” he said.

Out of 6,000 metric tonnes of urea and 5,000 metric tonnes of DAP demanded for the districts for the previous FY, 2077/78, only 3,200 metric tonnes of urea and 4,500 metric tonnes of DAP were supplied, he said.

Out of the total 76,531 hectares of arable lands in Dhanusha district, approximately 55,000 hectares have been cultivated for paddy plantation, according to the knowledge center.