KATHMANDU, Oct 21: More than 150,000 farmers have been registered in the government database within the hundred days since the formation of the current government. According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development (MoALD), the total number of registered farmers has now reached 1,933,000.
The MoALD has mentioned in its hundred-day progress report that the procedure for the distribution of farmer identification cards is currently under approval.
A tender for the import and distribution of 460,000 metric tons of chemical fertilizers has been completed with the budget allocated for the current fiscal year. Out of this, 155,000 metric tons of chemical fertilizers have been imported. Taking into account the stock from the previous year, the government has already sold and distributed 129,000 metric tons of fertilizers so far this year.
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The MoALD informed that it is preparing a proposal to amend the Fertilizer Distribution Management Directive, 2077 BS for simplifying the process of distributing subsidized fertilizers. Sources at the ministry said the proposal will be sent to the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Law, Justice, and Parliamentary Affairs for approval.
The ministry added that it has already disbursed an incentive grant amounting to Rs 1.44 billion to sugarcane-producing farmers in Madhesh Province at the rate of Rs 70 per quintal for the sale of sugarcane during the fiscal year 2024/25.
The Procedure for Providing Subsidy on Premiums of Crop and Livestock Insurance, 2081 BS, has been approved and is currently being implemented. During this period, 37,611 livestock insurance policies and 323 crop insurance policies have been issued.
To maintain food hygiene and quality, the MoALD conducted 2,746 market inspections and monitoring activities, according to the ministry sources. Additionally, the government carried out pesticide residue tests on 13,061 samples of fruits and vegetables imported into the country.
According to a ministerial-level decision made by Agriculture and Livestock Development Minister Ram Nath Adhikari on September 25, an eight-member task force has been formed under the coordination of the member secretary of the National Farmers' Commission for restructuring and improvement of the Dairy Development Corporation. The MoALD reported that the Government of Nepal has released a subsidized loan of Rs 600 million to the state-owned DDC for the purpose of paying the farmers their dues.
