Government aims to double agriculture budget

KATHMANDU, MAR 10: 

Prime Minister Dr Baburam Bhattarai has said that the government will double the budget for the agriculture sector. 

The government will take this necessary step at the next budget, he said during the inaugural ceremony of the 5th National Agro Expo today. 

“Currently, the government’s investment in the sector is 7.72 per cent of the total budget and it is not sufficient,” he said, adding that low investment in the agriculture sector has been a major obstacle in transforming it. “I have directed all the concerned agencies to increase the budget for agriculture and to introduce new programmes.”

According to him, Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) is working on a plan to facilitate soft loans for farmers. “Banks and financial institutions must spend 15 per cent in the agro sector,” he said, “I have given directions to NRB to implement it strictly.”

State minister for Agriculture and Cooperatives, Om Prakash Yadav, expressed his disappointment about the low budgets that the ministry was receiving. 

“How can transformation be possible when the ministry gets only 3.27 per cent of the national budget,” state minister Yadav said. 

However, he hoped that the country will adopt commercialisation of the agriculture sector in the coming days. “We have declared 2013 as ‘Agriculture Year’ to change subsistence agriculture to a commercial mode,” he said, “Agriculture exhibitions like these will support farmers to share their experiences and move forward.” 

Senior vice president of Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry Bhaskar Raj Rajkarnikar urged the government to formulate a comprehensive commercialisation policy. 

“We have tremendous opportunities in agriculture because of our topography and climate. We, now, have to cash on it,” he said. 

The 5th Agro Expo has 150 stalls showcasing agriculture products, herbs, and fertilisers produced by Nepali farmers. 

The 5th National Agro Expo will be held till March 11 providing an opportunity for interaction between experts, entrepreneurs and farmers. 

Though the country is often reffered to as an agricultural country and though a majority of the people are still involved in agriculture for a living, nothing substantial has been done to maximise agricultural productivity.

Source: THT