Govt working to achieve food security

Laxman Kafle / Kathmandu, May 13: Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development has been preparing policy, programmes and budget for the upcoming fiscal year 2022/23 focusing on import substitution and food security by increasing productivity and production of agricultural produces.

“We, the ministry, is preparing programmes to minimise the import of major agricultural produce, including paddy and rice, maize, wheat and others as the growing import of agricultural goods is becoming challenge for the country’s economy,” said Prakash Kumar Sanjel, spokesperson for the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development.

He said that the Ministry would launch the mission programmes in paddy and other cereals to increase production by making available the quality seeds and agricultural inputs.

Target to substitute 20 % import of agricultural produces

“Our target is to substitute import at least 20 per cent by increasing production of agricultural goods such as paddy, maize and potatoes, among others,” he told The Rising Nepal.

In order to increase production, the Ministry would provide budgets to the local levels as they can effectively increase production by supporting farmers in seeds and other agricultural inputs, he said.

He, however, said that the Ministry would prepare policy and programmes under the budget ceiling of Rs. 38.49 billion given by the Ministry of Finance for the upcoming fiscal year.

The ceiling of the budget of the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development for the upcoming fiscal year is around 7 per cent higher than the budget allocated for the current fiscal year.

The government had allocated a budget of Rs. 36.15 billion for agriculture and livestock for the current fiscal year 2021/22.

The Ministry would implement the system to fix the minimum support price of agro products before the plantation season rather than fixing price during the harvesting season, he added.

He said that the Ministry would focus on constructing warehouses in provinces aiming to store goods during the production season and sell them in the off season.

“We have proposed a budget of Rs. 450 million to construct warehouses. In the meantime, the Ministry has proposed to allocate Rs. 220 million to purchase paddy through cooperatives from farmers under the minimum support price fixed by the government,” he said.

Similarly, the Ministry has planned to arrange Rs. 800 million for subsidy to sugarcane farmers for the upcoming fiscal year.

Ministry proposes to fix quantity of fertiliser for import instead of allocating amount

Out of the budget ceiling received from the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Agriculture has proposed to allocate Rs. 15 billion for the import of chemical fertilisers for the upcoming fiscal year, Sanjel said.

However, with the rising price of chemical fertilisers in the international market, it is certain that it will not be possible to import required fertilisers to meet demand from the allocated budget even in the coming fiscal year, he said.

“Considering this situation, we are proposing the government announce the fixed quantities of fertiliser to be purchased instead of allocating an amount for import of fertiliser through the fiscal budget,” he said. At least 400,000 tonnes of chemical fertilisers should be fixed for import yearly, he said.

He said that the Ministry has proposed a budget of Rs. 350 million to all seven provinces at the rate of Rs. 50 million for each province for the establishment of organic manure factory.

Two graduate holders in agriculture at each local level He said that in order to provide necessary information to the farmers, a programme has been proposed to appoint at least two graduate holders in agriculture and livestock at each local level in contract.

He said that the appointed staff would address the problems of the farmers by visiting their farms which would help in increasing agricultural production.

“We are making a plan to run a programme as pilot programme to use barren land effectively in some local levels. In the meantime, the Ministry has proposed to formulate a ‘National Master Plan’ to use barren land across the country,” he said.

Rs. 3.32 billion budget proposed for PMAMP

Spokesperson Sanjel said that the Ministry has proposed a budget of Rs 3.32 billion for the effective implementation of Prime Minister Agricultural Modernisation Project (PMAMP) for the upcoming fiscal year.

“It is a must to implement the PMAMP effectively to increase production and productivity by using the technologies,” he said.

A proposal has been put forward to allocate a budget of Rs. 3.41 billion for agricultural research and Rs. 100 million for the purchase of livestock vaccines.

The Ministry has focused on strengthening labs and quarantine in the upcoming fiscal budget, he said.