The annual progress report of the ministry showed projects launched for commercialization of agriculture and promotion of food production to deal with food deficit were among the poor performers.[break]
“We witnessed weak performance of major agriculture projects that are crucial for food security and farm commercialization,” Bhoj Raj Sapkota, senior official of the MoAC, said while presenting the annual performance report of different agencies under the ministry.
Sapkota said delay in approval of projects, selection of consultant and delayed release of amount pledged by donors are the major factors behind weak performance of the much-hyped projects.
According to the report, projects with low progress rate are High Value Agriculture Produce Development Project with 69.6 percent, Project for Agriculture Commercialization and Trade with 68.4 percent, Food Crisis Address Program with 66.1 percent and Rising Income for Small and Medium Farmers Project with 33.85 percent.
The report also showed that the performance of state-owned undertakings under the ministry is lower as compared to work performance of different government departments.
According to the report, Kalimati Fruits and Vegetables Market Development Board (87.52 percent) recorded the best performance among the agencies under the ministry, followed by Dairy Development Corporation (84 percent), National Seed Company Ltd (82.97 percent) and Agriculture Inputs Company Ltd (62.83 percent).
Similarly, government programs targeting specific agriculture products were also among the poor performers. The report showed only 50 percent of the target for production and distribution of black cardamom has been achieved during the period, compared to 88 percent progress rate of onion mission during the review period.
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