Cooperatives selling fertilisers in Dhading have started drawing crowd despite fear of COVID-19, as it is the time when the farmers need fertilisers to use in maize and paddy.
On Wednesday, the farmers gathered at Nilakantha Cooperatives in the district headquarters to purchase chemical fertiliser.
Farmers had been queuing in front of the cooperative office since morning after getting information that the cooperative was selling fertilisers.
Various agricultural cooperatives have been given the responsibility of distributing fertilisers to the farmers in the district.
Fertilisers are provided on the basis of the quota assigned to the local levels and the details recommended by the concerned local level.
The farmers have already started visiting the cooperatives to collect the needed fertiliser.
Khagendra Prasad Koirala, vice-chairman of the Nilakantha Cooperative Board of Directors, informed that 100 sacks of fertiliser available in the cooperative were distributed to the people at the rate of 10 kg each.
A sack of fertiliser was distributed to five farmers, so each of them could get 10 kg.
Koirala said that many farmers had to return empty as they visited the cooperatives after it had distributed all 100 sacks of fertilisers.
As the number of COVID-19 cases is increasing day by day in Dhading, the locals said that the risk of COVID-19 had increased when the cooperatives distributed fertilisers and other agricultural products in an unorganised manner. Agricultural Inputs Company, Gajuri, has said that there will be no shortage of fertiliser this year like last year.
Even though the fertiliser could not be provided as per the demand of the farmers, they have distributed more fertilisers this year than last year, said Binod Sharma, chief of Agriculture Inputs Company, Gajuri office.
Sharma said that due to the prohibitory order, the fertilisers are distributed two days a week considering the demand of farmers.
In the district, 95 cooperatives listed in Agricultural Inputs Company, Gajuri office are distributing the fertilisers.
Annually, farmers in Dhading district need 3,000 tonnes of urea, 900 tonnes of DAP and 55 tonnes of potash.
Source : THE RISING NEPAL,
