Agriculture Inputs Company fears districts in the central Tarai of the country may face a shortage of chemical fertilisers this year, as farmers have started hoarding the key agricultural input due to concerns about shortage of the product.

The state-owned company has said the market has been reeling under a shortage of fertilisers despite regular supply of adequate quantity of urea and diammonium phosphate (DAP). This indicates farmers are currently hoarding fertilisers, said Ajay Kumar Srivastav, head of Agriculture Inputs Company’s regional office in Parsa.

Agriculture Inputs Company supplied 12,399.05 tonnes of urea and 859 tonnes of DAP in between May 16 to June 12, according to Srivastav. “This supply is higher than in the last two to three years,” said Srivastav, adding, “Since crop production has not jumped, we assume farmers are hoarding the fertilisers due to fear of short-supply of the input.”

The regional office of Agriculture Inputs Company has been supplying chemical fertilisers in 16 districts of Narayani, Lumbini and Janakpur zones. 

It also supplies chemical fertilisers in Parbat, Kaski and Tanahun districts of Gandaki zone.  

In the last 27 days alone, the company supplied 714 tonnes of fertilisers, including 479 tonnes of urea and 235 tonnes of DAP, in Janakpur zone. But the company’s Janakpur branch office had stock of only 153 tonnes of urea as of Saturday. The regional office had also dispatched 607 tonnes of fertilisers, including 561 tonnes of urea and 46 tonnes of DAP, to Dhalkebar. But the branch office in Dhalkebar has about 200 tonnes of fertilisers left in stock. 

This is the same in Sindhuli, where 1,020 tonnes of fertilisers, including 936 tonnes of urea and 84 tonnes of DAP, were dispatched. 

The branch office in Sindhuli now has only 78 tonnes of urea left in its warehouse. The regional office of Agriculture Inputs Company has also distributed adequate amount of fertilisers in Sarlahi, Makwanpur, Rautahat, Chitwan, Bara, Dhading, Kathmandu, Dhulikhel, Nawalparasi, Tanahun and Kaski districts. They too have sold most of these agricultural inputs.

For instance, Sarlahi office had received 448 tonnes of fertilisers, including 385 tonnes of urea and 63 tonnes of DAP. But it has only 196 tonnes of urea left in stock. Rautahat, on the other hand, received 514 tonnes of urea, but it has only 32 tonnes left in the stock. 

This is the same in Chitwan and Bara, which received 706 and 1034.55 tonnes of urea, respectively. But the two districts have 300 tonnes and 326 tonnes of urea left in their warehouses.

If this continues, Agriculture Inputs Company fears many parts of the country will face shortage of chemical fertilisers during the paddy plantation season, which has already started in some parts of the country.