The National Planning Commission (NPC) - the apex policy making body of the government - has put budget ceiling for the ministry at Rs 12.19 billion.[break]
The government has allocated Rs 10.52 billion for the ministry in the current fiscal year.
“In addition to the budget proposed for regular programs, we have also demanded additional budget amounting of Rs 1.26 billion for new programs that include increasing production of high-value crops and boosting milk and meat production,” said Dr Hari Dahal, spokesperson of the MoAC.
The NPC has also directed the ministry to propose programs aimed at making the country self-sufficient in apple, milk and meat. The import of apple, milk and meat products have been growing over the past few years.
Dahal said the ministry has proposed programs to boost apple production, launch campaign to promote black cardamom, become self-sufficient in True Potato Seed (TPS) and add five more districts -- Sarlahi, Mahottari, Morang, Dhanusa and Rautahat -- in the Mission Fish Program. The program has already been launched in nine districts.
In an attempt to deal with the increasing shortage of milking cows and buffalos in the country, the MoAC has also proposed a program to conduct artificial insemination on 200,000 cows and buffalos and encourage farmers in the mid and far western region into cow and buffalo farming.
Breed improvement of cows and buffalos, campaign to eradicate foot and mouth disease in cattle, research on the use of plant hormone and pesticide in food stuffs, and becoming self-sufficient on fodder seed production are some of the programs that the ministry has proposed.
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