Kathmandu, April 23– During the first nine months of the current fiscal year 2081/82, nearly three lakh metric tons of chemical fertilizer have been imported. According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, a total of 271,169 metric tons of fertilizer was imported between Shrawan and Chaitra (July to March).
The target for the current fiscal year is to import 550,000 metric tons of chemical fertilizer, with 271,169 metric tons already imported in the first nine months. A budget of NPR 27.95 billion has been allocated for chemical fertilizers in the current fiscal year. The ministry has also issued tenders for the import of 550,000 metric tons of fertilizer. According to the ministry, during this period, 166,834 metric tons of urea, 89,592 metric tons of DAP, and 15,265 metric tons of potash were imported.
In total, the Agriculture Materials Company Limited imported 242,362 metric tons, and Salt Trading Corporation imported 29,330 metric tons. So far, 300,620 metric tons of fertilizer have been distributed, with 61,259 metric tons remaining in stock.
Salt Trading Corporation has announced that an additional 30,000 metric tons of urea is being brought from Kolkata, and 33,000 metric tons of DAP fertilizer will arrive in the first week of Jestha (May). Both Agriculture Materials Company and Salt Trading Corporation are responsible for importing fertilizers, which are distributed to farmers through cooperatives.
In Nepal, fertilizers are mainly used for the cultivation of monsoon and winter crops. Rice is grown in two seasons. This year, the production of rice during the spring and monsoon seasons reached 595,547.6 metric tons. A total of 1,420,636 hectares of land were used for rice cultivation this year.
According to ministry data, maize is cultivated on 900,000 hectares of land, yielding 2.98 million metric tons of maize. Similarly, wheat is grown on 700,000 hectares, producing approximately 2.1 million metric tons of wheat. The country requires 700,000 metric tons of chemical fertilizers annually.
Although the government provides subsidies for fertilizer purchases every year, farmers continue to face shortages during the planting season due to delays in fertilizer imports.
