The process of importing 40,000 metric tonnes of fertilizer procured by the Agriculture Inputs Company from China has hit a snag.
The fertilizer- 35,000 metric tonnes of urea and 5,000 metric tonnes of DAP – is yet to arrive in Nepal, according to Chairperson of Silk Transport Pvt Ltd, Ramesh Sherpa. Silk Transport was awarded a contract to bring in the fertilizer from the northern neighbor. The farmers in Nepal, long being dependent on neighboring countries for fertilizers, have been facing problems in their commercial farming due to the unavailability of the fertilizers.
The concerned side already made the Prime Minister of Nepal send a letter to the Chinese Embassy in Nepal for its positive intervention in ensuring Nepal the fertilizers from China at the earliest but to no avail, Sherpa added.
The letter signed by the Prime Minister of Nepal to the Chinese Embassy here appealed to the Chinese side to prioritize the shipment of fertilizers at the earliest, according to him.
Officer at Tatopani Custom Office, Ganesh Prasad Poudel, shared that although the request was placed with the Chinese side to allow 20 goods-ferrying vehicles to enter the Nepali side from China, only up to 12 vehicles were allowed on a daily basis.
The government procuring fertilizers from Bangladesh and India had tasked the Salt Trading Company last to bring in 4,000 metric tonnes of fertilizer from China for the first time.
