Barahathwa (Sarlahi): The Madhes provincial government recently announced an ambitious agricultural plan for the upcoming fiscal year under the slogans "Production in Madhes, Expansion in the Country" and "Madhes Will Feed the Country". However, farmers across the province, especially in Sarlahi, are struggling to obtain basic chemical fertilizers like DAP (Diammonium Phosphate) during the critical early rice cultivation season.

Farmers preparing their rice beds since the second week of Jestha report widespread shortages. Kalu Bot of Kaziram Tole, Bagmati Municipality-12, expressed frustration after visiting the local cooperative four times without success. “They keep saying the fertilizer hasn’t arrived. How can we plant rice like this? How will the government’s slogan succeed if we can’t even get the essentials?” he asked.

Chemical fertilizers in Madhes are supplied by Salt Trading Corporation and Agricultural Materials Company Limited through local cooperatives. However, these supplies are often late and insufficient. According to Basu Khadka, president of Bagmati Savings and Loan Cooperative, timely delivery has always been an issue. “Farmers never get fertilizer when they actually need it,” he lamented.

Surendra Mahato of Barahathawa-5 has prepared two bighas of land for rice cultivation, after previously growing hybrid maize. He worries not only about getting DAP fertilizer now, but also about the larger quantities required once full-scale rice planting begins. “If even 20% of what is said in speeches was implemented, our problems would be reduced. But there is no accountability,” he said.

The Sarlahi warehouse of the Agricultural Materials Company is currently empty due to transport delays from Birgunj, confirmed Dhruv Sah, head of the local office. Both urea and DAP stocks have been depleted. In the Chure region, hard-boiled corn is beginning to spoil without the necessary urea application. A local farmer said, “We can barely keep the corn safe with pesticides. But without fertilizer after tillage, yields will drop.”

This is not a one-time issue. Fertilizer shortages are a recurring struggle for farmers in Sarlahi every year. Sah noted that although DAP shipments are en route, demand in Sarlahi is higher than in other districts due to better irrigation and three annual crop cycles. Despite this, fertilizer is allocated on an equal per-unit basis across all districts, leading to either shortages or, in some areas, oversupply and black-market selling.

Civil society leader Shiv Chandra Chaudhary criticized the blanket distribution model and called for allocations based on actual needs and demand. “It’s the farmers who suffer when supply doesn't match local reality,” he said.

Durga Prasad Pandey, head of the Birgunj provincial office, acknowledged that fertilizer transport is ongoing and DAP is being prioritized. However, he clarified that distribution will follow quotas set by the provincial government—not necessarily farmers’ demand. Alarmingly, no official quota has been set yet for this planting season.

Farmers in Bagmati, Barahathawa, Lalbandi, and Chandranagar are particularly affected due to high fertilizer needs for hybrid maize, potatoes, vegetables, and rice. As only about half the district’s demand is met through government subsidies, many farmers are turning to fertilizers from across the open border with India.

Sarlahi district has about 84,678 hectares of arable land and annually requires approximately 25,000 metric tons of urea and 20,000 metric tons of DAP. However, only around 10,000 metric tons of urea and 8,000 metric tons of DAP are distributed by official channels. This persistent mismatch between supply and demand has led to chronic shortages.

Uttam Acharya, president of the Small Farmers Agricultural Cooperative in Karmaiya, called on the government to take urgent action. “The data itself proves there is always a shortage,” he said. “The state must ensure fertilizers are distributed according to actual local requirements.”

As the planting season progresses, farmers across Sarlahi wait anxiously—not just for fertilizers, but for a system that finally listens to their needs.