Short on fertilisers, again

Creating a buffer stock in every province and ensuring sufficient supply is the lasting solution.

With the start of the monsoon season, usually in the second week of June, farmers in Nepal prepare for paddy plantation. The country witnessed an early onset of the season this year, by around two weeks, and farmers have already geared up for the planting season. However, they are struggling to find fertilisers, a basic for paddy plantation. Shortage of fertilisers has been a decades-old problem. People queuing up for hours and fighting to secure a sack of chemical fertiliser is a common sight repeated every year. Local administration often deploys police, who even baton charge farmers struggling to find a few sacks of fertiliser at local distribution centres.