Govt issues 16 directives to boost farm sector
KATHMANDU, DEC 22 -
The Ministry of Agriculture Development has issued sixteen new working procedures and directives, including the Interest Subsidy Guideline, in a bid to implement its plans to retain youth in the farm sector, boost production and promote commercial agriculture.
The move aims at facilitating farmers and attracting the young population by providing them subsidy on loans and seeds, among others, according to ministry officials.
The new directives are aimed at promoting the Orange Orchard Improvement Programme, Agriculture Survey Surveillance Programme, Jute Farm Expansion and Promotion Programme, Lentils Production and Promotion Programme, and Mid-Hill Extensive Maize Production Programme.
The directives also include Minor Crop Promotion Programme, Model Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Village Programme, Farmer Field Schools for Production of Quality Seeds Programme, Oilseeds Production Programme, Plastic Pond Construction Programme, Rubber Farming Expansion and Promotion Programme, Sugarcane Farming Expansion and Promotion Programme, and Subsidy Distribution for Farm Mechanisation Programme.
The ministry has amended the Apple Mission Directives to implement the programme so that the country would be self reliant on apple.
Under the Interest Subsidy Guideline 2013, which aims at promoting high-value crops, the government will provide interest subsidy on loans taken for the production of exportable crops like ginger, tea, coffee, large cardamom, commercial nursery, floriculture, juice production, pulp processing, mushroom production, seeds production, vegetable, fruits, livestock, and processing.
According to the Interest Subsidy Guideline, potential applicants upon producing their project proposal on production and processing will be deemed eligible for full or partial discounts on the interest of the loans taken from financial institutions. The discount will be based on their export volume.
The government this fiscal year increased the farm budget by more than 80 percent to Rs 21.40 billion, bringing its share of the national budget to 4.14 percent.
“The budget has allocated a huge amount this year, and we have targeted to allocate it in commercial crops programme and youth focused agriculture programme,” said Tek Prasad Luitel, co-spokesperson of the ministry. “The major aim of the programmes is to substitute import and make the country self-reliant on foods.”
The ministry is also planning to introduce additional 5-6 new guidelines within the week.
Finance Ministry Secretary Shanta Raj Subedi said his ministry has approved 77 directives and working procedures this fiscal year. “It’s the record number of directives that the finance ministry has issued for the agriculture ministry,” said Subedi during a budget review meeting.
Participation of youth in the farm sector has dropped sharply, mainly because the sector has become highly unattractive due to high production costs and labour-intensive nature.
The budget this year has allocated Rs 31 million for a seed production campaign. The government plans to expand the campaign to 6,700 hectares to produce an additional 24,000 tonnes of quality seeds by involving farmers’ groups, cooperatives and the private sector.
The government has allocated Rs 60 million for maize mission programmes in 39 hill and 16 Tarai districts in an import substitution effort.
As per government estimates, the Maize Mission Programme will produce an additional 88,000 tonnes of maize and help cut imports by 30 percent.
To boost lentil output, the ministry has allocated Rs 11.6 million and has estimated an additional 348 tonnes of lentil output. To promote dairy farming, the government has planned to set up 10 dairy plants in cooperation with dairy producers, and has allocated Rs 60 million for this purpose.
The ministry has set aside Rs 375 million to expand irrigation to 7,842 hectares through small-farmer irrigation projects and plastic ponds. For farm mechanisation, the government has earmarked Rs 100 million for subsidies to encourage farmers to use farm machines like power tillers, harvesters, planters and seed drills in the hill and Tarai regions.
Similarly, Rs 121 million has been set aside for a programme to involve marginalised and deprived people in cooperative farming. The scheme will be run in 41 districts. An additional 1,740 hectares of pocket areas will be created for off-seasonal vegetables production. For this purpose, Rs 30 million has been set aside.
Source: The Kathmandu Post
