Kathmandu. The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Environment has made public the achievements made in the agriculture, forestry and environment sectors in the 100 days of the formation of the government.
The Ministry has come up with various policy-level and technology-friendly reforms, prioritizing agricultural insurance, fertilizer management and protection of agricultural products.
According to the Ministry, the Ministry has already mentioned the process of amending the work procedure related to the subsidy of premium of agriculture and livestock insurance in order to make the agriculture and livestock insurance more simple, easy and effective.
The Agriculture and Livestock Insurance System, developed to manage the distribution of subsidy in insurance premium through digital means, has already been brought into operation at the federal level and works are underway to expand the system at the state level as well.
According to the Ministry, the insurance premium subsidy amount will be paid to the insurance companies from the concerned province from the next fiscal year.
The national fruit, orange and large cardamom have been selected as the primary crops under the geographical indication with the objective of protecting agricultural products and expanding international recognition. The ministry believes that this will contribute to the branding of Nepali agricultural products and promote export.
A preliminary draft of the Fertilizer (Control) Order-2083 BS has been prepared and suggestions have been collected from the stakeholders for making the management of chemical fertilizers more effective. According to the Ministry, the final draft of the draft will be submitted to the Council of Ministers for approval.
Likewise, the Fertilizer Distribution Management (Second Amendment) Work Procedure, 2083 BS has been approved to make the distribution of chemical fertilizers provided on subsidized basis more systematic. According to the ministry, the standards required for the companies distributing fertilizer have been made more objective and practical.
Similarly, works have been forwarded to upgrade the existing Fertilizer Management Information System to maintain transparency in fertilizer distribution.
According to the Ministry, the address, contact details of dealers and cooperatives, quota of fertilizers received by the local level, quantity distributed and date of purchase will be made public through the system.
According to the Ministry, a total of 89,194.55 metric tonnes of subsidized chemical fertilizers have been sold and distributed to farmers since the mid-April of the current fiscal year 2082÷83 including 53,716.45 metric tonnes through Agriculture Inputs Company Limited and 35,478.10 metric tonnes through Salt Trading Corporation.
The ministry has said that the process to purchase additional 3.50 lakh metric tonnes of chemical fertilizers has been forwarded targeting the upcoming crop season.
The Ministry has introduced a new provision to ensure the easy sale of agricultural products produced by the farmers and to ensure fair prices.
The government has decided to set aside 10 per cent stall in wholesale agriculture market for the ‘Farmers’ Shed’ operated by farmers’ groups and cooperatives and to provide at least 50 per cent of the area in the local haat bazaar for the sale of local products.
The Department of Agriculture and Livestock Services has been directed to coordinate and facilitate with the state and local governments for the same, the ministry stated.
As per the new provision, the government has allowed the import of mangoes from India and third countries only after 60 minutes of hot water treatment at 48 degrees Celsius. According to the ministry, this is expected to help in food security by reducing the risk of diseases and insects.
As part of the policy reforms, the draft of Agriculture Policy-2083 has been approved and submitted to the Council of Ministers. According to the Ministry, the draft of the Agriculture Bill-2083 has been sent to the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs for its opinion and consensus.
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