The recent consignment of fertilisers. Picture by Ajit Kumar Verma

Motihari, Jan. 13: The quantity of smuggled agricultural fertilisers from India to Nepal has remained constant over the past few years, triggering a shortage of manure for the farmers in East Champaran.

Repeated assurances and measures by the East Champaran district administration have failed to ensure a proper distribution of chemical fertilisers among farmers at proper rates, while the smugglers remain unaffected.

As a result, in spite of sufficient supply of fertilisers to the district, a scarcity remains in the market. There have been several reported cases of movement of smugglers in the districts bordering Nepal, suggesting the booming illegal trade running in the area.

Besides others, the commandant of the 13th battalion of Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), Raj Singh Shekhawat, has a lot to say regarding the smuggling of fertilisers into Nepal. He told The Telegraph that in 2010, the SSB seized 7,303 bags of fertilisers and a total of 32 persons were arrested for the trade.

A senior police officer, posted in the district till late-2009, said the amount of fertilisers being smuggled into Nepal had crossed previous records over the past two years.

Meanwhile, a big consignment of about 2,643 metric tonne of urea has arrived here a couple of days ago, said the district agriculture officer, Dharmaveer Pandey.

He told The Telegraph in view of the Rabi cultivation and the rising demand of farmers for the commodity, it has been proportionately distributed in every block of the district. He expressed hope that with the help of the administration every farmer would be able to acquire fertilisers according to their requirements.