Severe urea shortage hits far-west farmers ahead of planting season

Dhangadhi: Farmers in the Far West are facing a severe shortage of urea fertilizer as the planting season for wheat, mustard, lentils, pulses, oilseeds, potatoes, and vegetables begins. The shortage has left farmers struggling to prepare their fields.

Madhu Chaudhary, a farmer from Badhara, Dhangadhi Sub-metropolitan City-3, expressed his frustration, saying he had not received fertilizer in time for planting. Similarly, Double Bahadur Bogati of Bhajani Municipality-9, Kailali, reported that farmers had to plow their fields without fertilizer. “We do not know when the fertilizer will arrive. Farmers always face problems with fertilizer supply,” he said.

The Agricultural Materials Company Limited and the Salt Trading Corporation Limited are responsible for supplying and distributing fertilizers in the Far West. Currently, both organizations report a lack of urea stock. “Although DAP is available sporadically, urea is not,” said Ramchandra Joshi, assistant chief of the Salt Trading Corporation provincial office. “We cannot confirm when and in what quantity it will arrive—it depends on the central supply.”

Navsingh Bogati, chief of the Agricultural Materials Company provincial office in Dhangadhi, said they plan to start selling fertilizer next Tuesday. “We will begin sales only if we have sufficient stock to distribute 125 metric tons daily. So far, only 150 metric tons have arrived,” he said. The company has been distributing fertilizer to districts other than Kanchanpur and Doti, where it maintains its own offices.

According to Bogati, fertilizer is transported from Bhairahawa to the Far West, which holds a quota of 9.22 percent for urea and 9.07 percent for DAP of Nepal’s total imported fertilizer. Last fiscal year, the Dhangadhi office sold 12,843 metric tons of urea and 8,647 metric tons of DAP—far below the estimated annual demand of around 30,000 metric tons. Farmers have reportedly sourced fertilizer illegally from the Indian border in past years, but this year even border supplies are limited.

The current prices set by the company are Rs 1,873 per quintal for urea and Rs 4,773 per quintal for DAP. Fertilizer is sold to private sector traders and cooperatives according to a quota system rather than directly to farmers. Dealers are assigned based on recommendations from local ward offices, with at least two sellers per ward.

Bogati stated that approximately 400 dealers have been assigned across Kailali district, including 47 in Dhangadhi. “The quantity allocated to each dealer is uncertain and is determined according to local recommendations and price guidelines,” he explained.

Farmers in the region continue to face challenges as the shortage threatens timely planting and crop productivity.