Political Parties' Manifestos Dominated by Promises to Address Farmers' Fertilizer Shortages Ahead of Elections

Kathmandu. The country is immersed in election fervor. Only seven days remain until the House of Representatives elections. Candidates are adopting various campaigning styles to woo voters. Some are visiting farmers' fields, posting pictures of themselves assisting farmers on social media while soliciting votes. Meanwhile, almost all political parties and candidates have released their manifestos. Parties and candidates are seeking votes by showcasing the plans included therein.

Fertilizer is one of the perennial problems faced by farmers every year. Currently, most parties have prioritized this issue. Looking at the manifestos, they are full of fertilizer promises. The Nepali Congress states in its manifesto, “We will arrange the policy, structure, process, and technology to provide farmers with fertilizer according to demand, at the desired time, in the required quantity, at the state-set price, and at a convenient location.” This is something Congress repeats every time, yet it has not been implemented. The compulsion for farmers to come to the federal capital Kathmandu every year during the planting season to demand fertilizer still exists. Farmers are still forced to stage sit-ins at Maitighar demanding fertilizer. Congress had included the matter of ensuring supply at the time fertilizer is needed by creating a calendar for the fertilizer procurement process in the manifestos for the 2064 and 2070 Constituent Assembly elections, and the 2074 and 2079 House of Representatives elections.