Farmers Face Fertilizer Shortage Amidst Irrigation Issues

Janakpurdham. Farmer Chandradev Mahara of Laxhminia Rural Municipality-7 in Dhanusha has been supporting his 10-member family by farming. Due to having a small amount of land, he has taken land on lease from a landlord and has planted paddy in about one and a half bigha this year. Mahara shared that he had to irrigate his fields using a shallow tube well, paying Rs 300 per hour, as there was not enough rainfall. 'We hear that the government provides money for irrigation, but since ordinary farmers like us are unaware, we have to irrigate with water from private shallow tube wells at a rate of Rs 300 per kattha,' he said. According to Mahara, the planting is done somehow, but the biggest problem now is fertilizer. He said, 'It is called an agricultural country, but the government does not arrange for fertilizer on time. So how can farming be done in this country?' He complained that when he went to the local dealer and asked for 1 bag of urea and DAP as needed, they only gave him 10/20 kg. 'A copy of citizenship, name, address, everything is written down, and when going to get fertilizer, the dealer says there isn't enough, take this much now, you can get more later,' Mahara said. He complains that it is becoming difficult to make a living by farming. The condition of another farmer from the same place, Rampukar Raut, is no different from Mahara's. Raut says that his 8-member family has to be supported by farming. He is now thinking of alternatives to this profession. He said, 'Somehow paddy is planted, but fertilizer is not available. So how will the crop flourish?' He shared that last year too, paddy production decreased due to not getting chemical fertilizer on time. He said, 'Last year's harvest was not enough for even 6/8 months. When asking for votes, leaders say they will solve all problems, but after coming to power, they forget everything.' Another farmer, Banshiram Mahara, had hope in the new government. 'The previous government didn't do anything, I expected the current government to arrange fertilizer on time,' he said, 'but this government's attitude is also the same as before. I had hope, but it broke my heart.' Farmers here used to manage by somehow bringing chemical fertilizer from the border crossings when there was a shortage in the past, but now they are worried that the crops might be ruined as they cannot bring it that way. The problem of fertilizer for farmers worsens every year. The Krishi Samagri Sansthan Janakpur has informed that by July 8, 928 metric tons of urea, 459 metric tons of DAP, and 54 metric tons of potash have been sent to the farmers within the district. Bechan Sah, information officer of the institute, said that although preparations were made to deliver fertilizer to farmers on time this year compared to previous years, it was delayed due to fertilizer being held up at the Strait of Hormuz due to the war between America and Iran. He clarified that the responsibility of fertilizer distribution lies with the local level, and due to the inability to facilitate management, some farmers could not get fertilizer. According to Sah, DAP fertilizer received from the buffer quota of the Ministry of Agriculture is currently being sold and distributed as decided by the concerned municipalities. Meanwhile, the Krishi Gyan Kendra Dhanusha has stated that although the quantity is less compared to last year, the fertilizer arrived early and has also been sold and distributed. Ganesh Adhikari Khatri, an agricultural economist at the Knowledge Center, said that paddy plantation has been completed in 79.1 percent of the total cultivable land within the district by July 7. He said, 'In the Madhesh region, there is a tradition of growing 3 crops - paddy, wheat, and mustard, lentils, and fertilizer is not sufficient in that cycle.' Although the total cultivable land in the district is 55,238 hectares, paddy is planted in 43,700 hectares. Out of this, paddy has been planted in 34,565 hectares so far. According to the Knowledge Center, this year's plantation is good compared to last year.