New Delhi — India is processing a request from Nepal for a supply of fertilisers under the existing cooperation framework, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Tuesday. The confirmation came from MEA spokesperson Radhir Jaiswal during a press briefing, where he also highlighted ongoing agricultural and energy cooperation with neighbouring countries.
“We have received a request from Nepal for the supply of fertilisers. This is being processed within the existing framework of cooperation,” Jaiswal said. The request arrives ahead of Nepal’s paddy transplantation season, when timely fertiliser deliveries are critical.
Jaiswal also outlined India’s broader energy support across the region, noting supplies to Bangladesh via the high-speed diesel friendship pipeline and deliveries to Bhutan and Nepal under existing commercial arrangements. He added that energy shipments have been made to Sri Lanka and that talks are under way with Mauritius. “We have been responsive to additional requests from Bangladesh, which we met and are meeting,” he said.
Separately, Nepali officials have moved to secure emergency fertiliser imports from India amid supply disruptions linked to the West Asia crisis and rising global prices. According to The Kathmandu Post, the Nepal government has given in-principle approval for a one-time government-to-government (G2G) procurement of 80,000 tonnes of chemical fertiliser from India under a 2022 agreement. The consignment reportedly includes 60,000 tonnes of urea and 20,000 tonnes of di-ammonium phosphate (DAP). Kathmandu had initially sought 150,000 tonnes.
Ram Krishna Shrestha, joint secretary at Nepal’s Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development and chair of the Agriculture Inputs Company, told The Kathmandu Post the process will move forward after the Nepal cabinet’s formal decision and that purchase orders will be placed once procedures are completed. He said the shipment from Indian state-owned Rashtriya Chemicals and Fertilisers Limited is expected to arrive by mid-August, aligning with the key top-dressing period for paddy.
Shrestha warned that relying on fresh international tenders could cause delays of at least 225 days and create acute shortages, prompting the emergency G2G route. He also outlined the fiscal strain: although Nepal budgeted Rs 28.82 billion in subsidies, higher world prices have trimmed planned fertiliser procurement from 550,000 tonnes to about 440,000 tonnes. Fully subsidising fertiliser at current global prices would require nearly Rs 80 billion, he said.
On the diplomatic front, while the original five-year MoU between India and Nepal expired on March 31, 2026, Nepali officials said the G2G framework remains valid through 2026 and that a draft extension has been sent to India for consideration.
