Bechan Yadav, a farmer from Aurhi rural municipality-3 of Sirha, was looking for fertilizer at Sirha headquarters on Sunday. He did not get fertilizer in the cooperative of his own municipality. After searching for three hours in Siraha, they found the mall but the money was not enough. Disappointed, he returned home empty-handed.

 'I see government subsidized fertilizer in the shop, but the price is one and a half to two times higher,' he said, 'I don't have that much money now, I will come the next day.' Farmers are seen visiting cooperatives and fertilizer shops to spread fertilizer on wheat. However, manure is not easily available. Even if found, a heavy price must be paid. Not only is it smuggled from India, but government-subsidized fertilizers are also being sold in private shops in the market.

Last December 26, the police seized 62 sacks of government-subsidized DAP and urea from Mazhau in Kalyanpur Municipality-8. The local Sanjay Sah was selling the subsidized fertilizer at a high price from the general store he was running in his house.

According to the police, he used to sell Pratibora DAP for 3500 to 4000 and urea for 1500 to 1800. Meanwhile, Kalyanpur Municipality has asked to sell DAP bags at 2500 rupees and urea at 1000 rupees.

The police have only taken control of the mall. DSP Panchkumar Bakhu informed that Sah, who was black-marketing government-subsidized fertilizer, is absconding and the search is on. The police have not been able to find out from where Sah brought the donated fertilizer. "We are investigating where and how the manure came from," he said.

Farmers complain that fertilizer is being black marketed with the involvement of the employees, public representatives and the cooperatives that are in charge of fertilizer sales and distribution. Farmers say that although they distribute some of the fertilizers that came for the farmers, they keep most of them hidden and sell them at high prices from private shops.

'They say that so much fertilizer has come, so much fertilizer has come, but the farmers can't get it,' says Bishnu Prasad Yadav, a farmer of Mirchaiya-9, 'The fact that government-subsidized fertilizer is found in private shops confirms that everyone is colluding to disappear fertilizer and black market it.'&nbsp ;

Chairman of District Coordination Committee, Siraha, Dinesh Mahato said that he was not able to pay much attention because he was outside and now he will monitor. "If there is bullying somewhere, action will be taken," he said. 

The chemical fertilizers purchased by the government from India and third countries are being provided to the farmers by subsidy through Agricultural Cooperative Organizations and Salt Trading Corporation. From here, cooperatives designated by the local level buy DAP at 2,272 rupees per bag and urea at 822 rupees per bag.

The selling price of the cooperative is determined by the local level. However, Deepak Poudel, head of Agricultural Materials Company Limited, Siraha, says that government fertilizer traders take away from some cooperatives and there is a problem of black market.

He said that the activity of all agencies is equally necessary to deliver fertilizers to the farmers in a transparent manner and cooperatives need to be honest. "It has been good in some places, but there are problems in some places," he said, "everyone needs to keep vigilance and ensure that the cooperatives are honest."

There are 64 thousand hectares of agricultural land in Siraha. About 75 percent of that is wheat cultivation. According to Paudel, at least 4,500 metric tons of DAP and 3,000 metric tons of urea fertilizer are needed for this. However, this time, only 1,272 metric tons of DAP and 1,410 metric tons of urea have been produced in three phases for the wheat season, he informed.