Unveiling the policies and programs for the upcoming budget of fiscal year 2011-12 in the Parliament on Sunday, President Dr Ram Baran Yadav said programs will be focused on raising agriculture output with the main slogan of "Let´s Increase Production, Let´s Become Self-reliant" to ensure food sovereignty and food security in the country.[break]
“Access of agricultural and animal products will be expanded to regional and global markets by making these products competitive,” said Yadav.
To achieve modernization and commercialization in agriculture, which covers more than one-third of total Gross Domestic Product (GDP), the government has announced to boost production of quality agricultural and animal products by enhancing the access to agriculture inputs such as chemical and organic fertilizers, improved seeds, improved animal breed along with irrigation and technology.
The policies and programs also stated that import-substitution and export-promotion will be made effective by means of production of high-value agro-products and concerted efforts towards import-substitution and export-promotion.
Amid increasing cases of farmers suffering huge losses with the death of cattle and destruction of crop, crop and animal insurance programs will be expanded through micro-insurance services.
The government has also announced to put in place necessary policy and legal framework to discourage the trend of using pesticides.
The government has taken irrigation as the major tool to increase agriculture output. “With a view to increasing agricultural production and productivity, irrigation system´s
effectiveness will be enhanced by preserving and promoting the existing irrigation infrastructure,” state the policies and programs.
The government has given special priority to construct big irrigation projects such as Sikta and Ranijamara-Kulariya in the coming fiscal year. As per the government planning, construction works of Bheri-Babai diversion will begin, detailed studies of multipurpose projects such as Tamor-Morang, Sunkoshi-Tawa, Sunkoshi-Marin, Trishuli-Chitwan, Kali Gandaki-Tinau and Seti-Kailali will be undertaken and a detailed study of Kankai high dam will also be carried out as per the government plan for the next year.
In a bid to discourage haphazard use of land, the government has announced to formulate a scientific land-use policy and initiate to implement the policy in the coming fiscal year. “By improving the existing land classification system, land will be classified, based on its use, into six types such as agricultural, forest, commercial, residential, public, and industrial,” said the policies and programs.
Study on the establishment of Irrigation Fund and increasing access of landless tiller to agriculture land will also be promoted through implementation of scientific land reform for social justice, judicious distribution of means of production, food security, poverty reduction, and sustainable economic growth.
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