Chemical fertiliser Nepal purchased from India under a government-to-government (G2G) arrangement has started arriving through the Birgunj border point.

Two rail consignments of diammonium phosphate (DAP) and one of urea have entered Nepal through Birgunj since Saturday, according to the Madhes provincial office of Krishi Samagri Company Limited.

Dinesh Sharma, the company's acting provincial manager, said all three consignments had reached the Sirsiya Dry Port in Birgunj. The fertiliser is now being transported from the dry port to the company’s warehouses for storage, he said.

The government has purchased 30,000 tonnes each of urea and DAP from India under the G2G arrangement. The quantities allocated to the company’s Birgunj and Bhairahawa provincial offices will enter Nepal through the Sirsiya Dry Port, while fertiliser earmarked for the Biratnagar provincial office will come through the Biratnagar border point.

The remaining consignments will arrive gradually, Sharma said. A standard rail consignment typically carries around 2,500 tonnes of chemical fertiliser.

The Birgunj provincial office will receive 11,000 tonnes each of urea and DAP, with the remaining stocks to be distributed to the Bhairahawa and Biratnagar provincial offices, Sharma said.

The fertiliser currently arriving through Birgunj is being stockpiled ahead of the winter wheat-growing season, he said. The government began bringing in the G2G-purchased fertiliser to ensure adequate supplies for farmers as demand rises during the wheat season.