Kathmandu: The government has raised its hands saying that it won’t be able to ensure adequate supply of fertilizers this year too, leaving farmers in a lurch.

Organizing a press meet on Sunday, the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development (MoALD) blamed the ‘odd situation’ in the international market behind its inability to ensure supply of fertilizer on time. According to the MoALD, with the price hike in the international market, import costs of Urea have soared three fold, DAP six fold and Potash more than 10 fold.

Currently, two government entities Agriculture Inputs Company and Salt Trading Corporation have stocks of 10,000 tons of Urea, 1,200 tons of DAP and 500 tons of Potash in total. “The existing inventories cannot meet the demand for fertilizers in the coming days,” the ministry said.

As per the MoALD estimates, around 75,000 tons of chemical fertilizers are needed for the good harvest in the next three months. The ministry has sought an additional fund of Rs 12.71 billion in addition to the allocated budget of Rs 15 billion to ensure smooth supply of fertilizers.