India to supply 80,000 tonnes of fertiliser to Nepal amid shortage

India will supply 80,000 tonnes of fertiliser to Nepal under a government-to-government arrangement after Kathmandu sought help due to supply disruptions linked to West Asia tensions. The shipment aims to support Nepal’s agriculture during the upcoming farming season

New Delhi: India will be supplying fertiliser to Nepal as a request has been received from Kathmandu amid the supply disruptions that the Himalayan country is facing due to the West Asian conflict, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on Tuesday.

“We have received a request from Nepal for the supply of fertilisers. This is being processed within the existing framework of cooperation,” Jaiswal said in the MEA’s weekly briefing.

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Nepal is sourcing 80,000 tonnes of fertiliser, which includes 60,000 tonnes of urea and 20,000 tonnes of DAP, from India through a government-to-government (G2G) deal. This move aims to prevent shortages during the upcoming paddy transplantation season, with shipments expected to help stabilise supplies amid global disruptions.

The MEA spokesperson also said that India has been “supplying energy products to countries in the neighbourhood. We have been supplying diesel to Bangladesh through the high-speed diesel friendship pipeline that we have. We also got some additional requests from Bangladesh, which we met and we are meeting”.

“We’ve also been supplying energy products to Bhutan as per the existing regimen, as well as Nepal, as per the commercial agreement and the arrangement that we have presently with them. We have likewise supplied energy products to Sri Lanka, and there are some arrangements that are in the works right now with Mauritius as well,” he added.

Nepal’s Cabinet approved the urgent purchase of fertiliser after a shipment expected from the Gulf was disrupted due to the blockade in the Strait of Hormuz, according to media reports. The supply is being handled by India’s state-owned Rashtriya Chemicals and Fertilisers Limited, and the fertilisers are scheduled to arrive by mid-August.

The deal is part of a broader, ongoing MoU signed in 2022 between India and Nepal regarding fertiliser supply, the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu said in a press release.