Government Promises Fertilizer Supply after Major Planting Season Ends

The government’s repeated pledges to ensure timely supply of fertilizer, coupled with delay in deliveries and an insufficient monsoon, are expected to reduce Nepal’s paddy output by as much as 7 percent this year.

Despite increased government spending and reported stockpiles at state warehouses, thousands of farmers across the country were left without adequate fertilizer during the crucial transplantation period.

While officials insist that fertilizer will be available soon, the planting season for the country’s most important crop is already coming to a close, leaving farmers concerned about the impact on harvests.

Read: Dry Spell Takes Toll on Paddy Transplantation; Output Likely to Drop by 7%

Meanwhile, Agriculture Minister Ramnath Adhikari has pledged that urea fertilizer will be available within the next ten days, the state-run national news agency RSS reported. Speaking at a program in Chandrauta on Sunday, he reportedly said fertilizer imports from Kolkata would soon arrive and assured farmers there would be no shortage this year. But the pledge comes after the main transplantation window has already passed.

This year, paddy transplantation covered 94.9 percent of the 1.37 million hectares of rice fields, down from 98.5 percent last year. Agriculture officials attributed the decline to insufficient rainfall in Madhesh and Koshi provinces and the failure to provide fertilizer on time. Experts warned that reduced output would push up imports and raise food prices in the coming months.

Read: Agriculture Inputs Company Limited Holds Over 771,000 Bags of Fertilizer in Stock

Ironically, the Agriculture Inputs Company Limited (AICL) has confirmed holding more than 771,000 bags of fertilizer in stock, including over half a million bags of urea, while another 600,000 bags are in transit. Farmers, however, continue to report receiving barely a fraction of their requirements. Many have resorted to informal imports from India to keep their fields productive.

Although the government has more than doubled its fertilizer procurement budget in the past five years — from Rs 12 billion in FY 2021/22 to nearly Rs 28 billion this year — shortages during monsoon remain unchanged. National demand is estimated at 650,000 metric tons annually, while official supply averages only around 450,000 metric tons. Rising costs of fertilizer in the global market and the growing adoption of hybrid seeds, which require higher nutrient input, have further widened the gap.

Read: Agriculture Minister Expresses Helplessness Over Shortage of Fertilizer During Planting Season