A cabinet meeting on March 30 had approved a relief package worth Rs 200 million for the farmers to be distributed through MoAC. [break]
However, release of the approved amount is in limbo due to disputes between the MoAC and MoF over the distribution measure. The MoF said such a huge amount can´t be released without any relief packages, saying that it would invite misuse of the fund and set bad precedent.
“We have resent the package programs for cabinet approval last week proposing to distribute relief materials in kinds after MoF rejected our earlier proposal that included cash incentives also to the farmers,” Dr Hari Dahal, spokesperson for the MoAC, told Republica Thursday.
Dahal said the MoAC has proposed Rs 25.6 million for distribution of seed kits for vegetables farming, Rs 19 million for waiver of land tax and around Rs 172.4 million for distribution of fertilizers and crop protection services to the affected farmers.
Initially, the MoCA has sent a proposal to distribute seed kits worth Rs 25.6 million and the remaining amount for cash relief.
He said the process of distributing relief to the farmers is going to be lengthier due to necessary formalities to be followed while procuring relief materials including fertilizers.
Bijay Malik, director general of Department of Agriculture (DoA), said relief would be distributed through District Natural Disaster Relief Committee led by Chief District Officers of districts concerned. He also said the DoA is going to propose 1,000 shallow tube wells for the victimized farmers in upcoming budget.
The maize farmers are on stir for two months demanding compensation from the government to the loss they suffered due to inferior hybrid seeds of maize that left maize cobs without grains in five districts. As part of their protest, they have already demonstrated inside the Singha Durbar carrying the maize plants bearing unfertilized cobs.
According the MoAC officials farmers have suffered a loss of over Rs 3 billion in five districts -- Bara, Parsa, Rautahat, Sarlahi and Nawalparasi -- due infertile of seeds planted in around 21,400 hectares of maize farms.
Failure of maize crops was recorded in 13,500 hectares in Bara, 500 hectares in Sarlahi, 200 hectares in Nawalparasi and 100 hectares each in Parsa and Rautahat districts.
However, agitating farmers have claimed that over 46,000 hectares of maize farming has been affected in those districts.
Farmers had used different varieties of seeds produced by different companies -- Pioneer, Pinnacle, Seed Tech, Sandhya and Tropical -- under the government´s three-year maize mission that aimed to reduce maize im,ports worth millions of rupees from India.
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