Thursday, June 13, 2019

Nepal to buy fertilizers from India via G2G process

The government has decided to procure chemical fertilizers from India through G2G process.
Minister for Communications and Information Technology Gokul Banskota informed that – during the regular press meet to announce government decisions – today the recent Cabinet has decided to procure chemical fertilizers from India through G2G process as the harvesting season is coming.
Every year, during the harvesting season, farmers face shortage of chemical fertilizer. The shortage of chemical fertilisers due to a delay in imports will hit paddy plantation.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, there are 10,000 tonnes of DAP in stock, not nearly enough to meet the country’s demand for even 15 days. The government imports chemical fertiliser worth Rs 16 billion annually that includes Rs 6 billion given for fertiliser subsidies.
The Agriculture Ministry had targeted to purchase 286,000 tonnes of chemical fertiliser this fiscal year, but due to the appreciation of the dollar and a price rise in the global market, it was only able to buy 225,000 tonnes. The four-month plantation period alone requires 150,000 tonnes of chemical fertiliser. However, there has been a deficit of 50,000 tonnes this year.

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