An Indian court is set to hear the bail application of two Nepali farmer brothers from Sarlahi on Friday, July 31, nearly a month after they were arrested while bringing chemical fertiliser from India during a severe shortage of supplies in Nepal.

Suresh Prasad Singh and Nagendra Prasad Singh, residents of ward 5 of Balaram Municipality in Sarlahi, have been in judicial custody in Bihar for the past 27 days after being arrested on July 1 in Sonbarsa, a border town in India.

The brothers had crossed into India during the peak paddy transplantation season to purchase fertiliser, a period when demand for urea and DAP is at its highest among Nepali farmers. While returning with two bags of urea and six bags of DAP (di-ammonium phosphate) fertiliser on bicycles, they were intercepted by a joint team of India’s Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) and the Department of Agriculture.

Indian authorities accused them of illegally transporting subsidised fertiliser and sent them to Dumra Jail in Bihar on July 2.

Since then, the family has made repeated visits to the Dumra court seeking their release. Avinash Singh, Suresh’s son, said he submitted a bail application last Friday, after which the court scheduled the hearing for July 31.

“We are hopeful they will be released on bail after the hearing. The delay was due to court procedures,” Avinash said.

Local lawyer Kiran Chaudhary has been hired to represent the brothers in Dumra, while Pravin Singh, a relative based in Sonbarsa, has been coordinating the legal process.

While the legal battle continues across the border, the brothers’ farmland in Sarlahi remains without fertiliser. The family owns nearly three bigha of land (2.03 hectares), where paddy was planted with the help of neighbours after the brothers were detained.

“We somehow managed to plant the paddy, but we still haven’t received fertiliser,” Avinash said. “This shortage has landed my father and uncle in jail. Fertiliser is nowhere to be found here.”

On Sunday, Avinash submitted an application to the Ward 5 office of Balaram Municipality requesting fertiliser allocation. Ward officials said they were taking steps to address the request.

The case is the latest example of the recurring fertiliser crisis faced by Nepali farmers during major cultivation seasons. Nepal has long struggled to ensure timely supplies of chemical fertilisers, and farmers in border districts of Madhesh province have turned to Indian markets.

However, carrying fertiliser purchased from India can expose farmers to legal action because Indian authorities strictly regulate the movement of subsidised fertiliser. India treats chemical fertiliser as an essential commodity and provides subsidies intended for its own farmers. Exporting or transporting such fertiliser without authorisation is prohibited under Indian law.

Uday Sapkota, a lawmaker from Rautahat and leader of the ruling Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), said he had raised the issue with the Ministry of Home Affairs and urged the government to support farmers caught in such situations.

“We are aware of the plight of these farmer brothers from Sarlahi, who have spent so many days behind bars,” Sapkota said. “The government must take timely steps to address the fertiliser crisis. The shortage at home and strict enforcement across the border have left farmers in a difficult situation.”

Following reports of the arrest, Foreign Minister Shishir Khanal expressed concern over the case on July 21. Khanal said diplomatic efforts were being made through the Nepali Embassy in New Delhi but that the release process had been delayed due to judicial procedures in India.

“The release has been delayed due to judicial procedures. Efforts from our side are continuing,” Khanal said.

Bijay Raj Subedi, chief district officer of Sarlahi, said the local administration had remained in regular contact with Indian authorities to facilitate the brothers’ release.

Meanwhile, neighbours have taken responsibility for managing the Singh family’s farmland in their absence. Bijay Singh, a neighbour, said local farmers came together to complete paddy transplantation on the brothers’ fields, even as the fertiliser shortage continues to affect the entire village.

“Fertiliser is never available when farmers need it most,” Bijay said. “Every planting season brings the same struggle. When they found no alternative and tried to bring fertiliser from across the border, the two brothers ended up in jail for nearly a month. Neighbours helped complete the planting, but none of us has been able to apply fertiliser to our crops.”