MoAD launches 100-day programme of 13 projects

KATHMANDU:

The Ministry of Agricultural Development (MoAD) has come up with a 100-day programme, which, among others, aims to generate self employment opportunities for 1,200 people, raise subsidy in crop and livestock insurance policies to 75 per cent of the premium amount, expand the coverage of livestock vaccination programme and expedite the process of importing hybrid cows from neighbouring countries. The ministry has introduced the programme at a time when it is struggling to make use of the annual budget allocated to it.

The ministry was allotted a recurrent budget of Rs 18.67 billion for this fiscal year, of which only Rs 10.83 billion, or 58 per cent, was used in the first nine months of the fiscal ended mid-April, shows the latest statistics of the Financial Comptroller General Office. The ministry was also allocated a capital budget of Rs 2.73 billion for this fiscal, of which mere Rs 679.03 million, or 24.87 per cent, was used in the nine-month period.

“Part of the reason behind introducing the programme was to make use of the money earmarked for the ministry. But these programmes will ultimately benefit the farmers. We are resolute on completing all the projects within the deadline as their implementation has already begun,” Agriculture Secretary Jaya Mukunda Khanal told The Himalayan Times.

The 100-day programme consists of 13 different projects, which the ministry plans to implement within this fiscal-end.

One of the programmes includes distribution of identity cards to small and marginalised farmers to raise their access to agricultural services. Under this, the ministry, with the help of Department of Agriculture and Department of Livestock Services, plans to distribute ID cards in at least one district of every development region. The ministry plans to select the districts by May 29 and start ID card distribution by mid-July.

Another programme aims at generating self-employment opportunities for 1,200 youths in agricultural sector. Of these, 800 would be engaged in vegetable farming, 150 in fisheries and 250 in livestock farming. The ministry, which had launched similar programme targeting 4,100 youths earlier this fiscal, plans to achieve its new target within mid-July.

Similarly, the ministry has also decided to expand the coverage of livestock vaccination programme to combat foot and mouth disease in cattle. Earlier this fiscal, it had set a plan to vaccinate 500,000 cattle in 19 districts to protect them from the disease. Now, it is aiming to spread out to other districts as well and vaccinate 100,000 more cattle within mid-July.

The ministry has also decided to launch a special programme to develop the dairy sector and turn Kathmandu, Lalitpur, Bhaktapur, Kavre, Chitwan, Dhading, Nuwakot, Dolakha, Sindhupalchowk districts into dairy production pocket areas. In this programme, a project to increase production of cattle fodder has also been included.

Similarly, the ministry also plans to distribute 230,000 metric tonnes of subsidised chemical fertiliser within this fiscal and initiate process to import hybrid cattle from neighbouring countries.

Source: THT