Share of research budget in agriculture decreasing

KATHMANDU:

At a time when policymakers and planners are talking about transforming the country’s agriculture sector from a subsistence level to a commercial scale, ironically, the share of research budget in total agriculture has been dropping gradually every year since 2010-11.

Though the government has been allocating more budget to the Ministry of Agricultural Development (MoAD) every fiscal since the last five years, spending on agricultural research has been decreasing every year.

As per the planning division of MoAD, share of research budget is about 7.63 per cent of the total agriculture budget for the current fiscal 2014-15, whereas such share accounted for about 10 per cent of the total agriculture budget in fiscal 2010-11. The volume of the budget allocated to MoAD, however, is increasing.

The fiscal budget 2014-15 earmarked Rs 23.28 billion for MoAD, which is more than double the budget allocated five years ago. In 2010-11, total budget allocated for MoAD was Rs 10.52 billion.

MoAD Spokesperson Udaya Chandra Thakur admitted the fact that MoAD has to massively expand research activities to achieve the target of its long-term vision and at least 10 per cent of the budget should be spent on research activities.

“Along with other key components like irrigation, quality seed and fertiliser and extension services, agricultural research is vital to boost agriculture production.”

Thakur stressed on capacity enhancement of agriculture research wing. Currently, Nepal Agricultural Research Council is the only dedicated wing of government for agricultural research, which conducts research in coordination with Department of Agriculture and Department of Livestock Services.

Not only research, share of agriculture extension service’s budget was also in a declining trend till the previous fiscal from 2010-11. Budget share of extension services in the total agriculture budget was 17.12 per cent in 2010-11 when the total budget for agriculture was Rs 10.52 billion. Its budget share fell to 12.90 per cent (of Rs 21.40 billion) in previous fiscal 2013-14. However, MoAD has allocated 17.94 per cent from its total budget this fiscal to provide agriculture extension services.

Source: THT