Kathmandu:
India and Nepal on Monday concluded an MoU for the long-term supply of urea and DAP fertilisers from India to Nepal under a government to government arrangement.
The MoU was signed by India’s Secretary, Chemicals and Fertilisers, Rajesh Kumar Chaturvedi, and Nepal’s Secretary, Agriculture and Livestock Development, Dr Govinda Prasad Sharma.
The virtual ceremony to sign and exchange the MoU was held on Monday in presence of Nepal’s Agriculture and Livestock Development Minister, Mahindra Ray Yadav, India’s Ambassador Vinay Mohan Kwatra, and officials of the ministries and embassies of both India and Nepal.
Nepal has been looking for supplies of chemical fertiliser from India for a long time but this could not materialise so far due to technical reasons.
The life of the agreement is five years, and under it, India will supply 150,00 metric tons of chemical fertiliser by the end of June, out of which 60 per cent would be urea and 40 per cent would be DAP.
In his remarks, Chaturvedi highlighted the close and multi-faceted nature of India-Nepal ties and hoped that the MoU will further boost bilateral cooperation in the agriculture sector, according to the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu.
The signing of this MoU is expected to help address the recurring fertiliser shortages in Nepal.
As per the agreement, Nepal will procure 150,000 metric tons of chemical fertiliser from India for four years which will fulfil 30 percent of its fertiliser needs. In the fifth year, Nepal will procure 200,000 metric tons, as per the pact.(IANS)