ROLPA,July 16: Ever since the onset of monsoon, farmers in the district are worried due to the lack of chemical fertilizers. At a time when shortage of fertilizers has become a daily dose of news, it’s reported that a consignment of chemical fertilizers which was meant for Rolpa and was on the way to the district was vanished mid-way by the middlemen. As many as 100 sacs of fertilizers that were supposed to arrive in the district have gone ‘missing’. Similarly, there are no records as to how and where 150 bags of fertilizers brought in the district earlier were sold.
The local administration has started an investigation after it was reported that fertilizers meant for the farmers of Rolpa were being sold out outside the district. The local administration became more alert about the ‘misplacement’ after the police found 18 bags of chemical fertilizers inside a bus headed for Dang from Rolpa district headquarters Liwang, at Satdobato. According to the police, the fertilizer was recovered on the basis of confidential information.
However, the records of Dang office of Salt Trading Corporation Limited shows that 100 bags of fertilizer in Rolpa’s quota were loaded in vehicles on June 29 but the fertilizers had not reached Rolpa yet. Similarly, there is no record of selling even the 150 bags of fertilizers sent by the Krishi Samagri Company Limited previously. Among the 150 bags of fertilizer, the District Administrative Office said 18 bags had been recovered by police while the fertilizer was being taken to Dang on Thursday.
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The district administration office has decided to investigate the matter following a raid on Swargadwari Agrovet in Liwang on Thursday. “We will confiscate any illegal fertilizer. The municipality will distribute that,” said CDO Nawaraj Sapkota, “Even though a vehicle was loaded with fertilizers for Rolpa four days ago, that vehicle has not arrived in Rolpa yet .”
CDO Nawaraj Sapakota says, “Now Salt Trading Corporation Limited, Dang, should move ahead with the investigation process. It is seen that 100 bags of manure were loaded in the vehicle on July 27. No one knows where the manure has gone.” He added that he will start an investigation into the sale of 150 bags of manure sent by Krishi Samagri Company Limited earlier.
Owner of Agrovet, Purna Roka who has been accused of selling the manure outside the district, said, “We were trying to send the fertilizer that was confiscated by the administration today to Laltibang of Rolpa. The consignment of 100 sacs of manure hasn’t reached Rolpa due to the bad road conditions. It is on the way, coming. The fertilizer which had come to the district before was also not sold outside. The fertilizer that came as per the quota was sold within Rolpa district.”
Chief of Salt Trading Limited, Dang, Rambabu Gupta said his only job is to sell fertilizers. “Our job is to sell fertilizers. We do not care where it goes after we sell it. Whether we give or not is our responsibility. Finding out where the fertilizer has gone is a local matter.”
On Thursday, the local administration carried out market monitoring in the presence of the Chief District Officer, Rolpa Police Chief, Agriculture Knowledge Center, representatives of Rolpa Municipality and others.
