Fertilizer shortage leaves Bardiya farmers in crisis

Farmers in Bardiya are struggling to get enough chemical fertilizer for their rice fields, with many returning home empty-handed after hours in line.

In Shukrabasti, Madhuban-7, farmer Shanti Adhikari waited all day but got only six kilos of urea from her cooperative. She has planted rice on one-and-a-half bigha and fears her crop could fail.

Taratal Sana Kisan Agricultural Cooperative, which has 3,800 members, received just 368 bags of urea. Divided equally, each farmer got only six kilos. In Gulariya-3, Kalpataru Krishnasar Agricultural Cooperative got 52 bags for 400 farmers. Police were deployed during distribution due to tension, said chairman Chintamani Kandel.

The shortage has caused panic across the district. Some cooperatives hesitate to transport fertilizer, fearing disputes during distribution. Kandel said that if fertilizer is not delivered, farmers get nothing, but if it is brought, fights often break out.

On Tuesday, five cooperatives in Badhaiyatal-6 announced fertilizer distribution, and farmers queued from 2 a.m. the previous day. The notice promised 25 kilos per farmer, but distribution was stopped because demand was too high, leaving many farmers empty-handed.

Farmers have protested at municipal and district offices, demanding easier access to fertilizer.

According to Sagar Dhakal, head of the Integrated Agriculture and Livestock Development Office in Bardiya, the shortage could lower paddy production this year. Bardiya needs 12,000 metric tonnes of urea, 7,000 of DAP, and 1,000 of other fertilizers annually, but only half of the required amount is currently available.