Budget aspires to double agri production in five years

KATHMANDU, May 20: The budget of Fiscal Year 2018/19 has stressed on the need to develop commercial agriculture and technology, and expand value chain in order to double the agro production within five years. However, no concrete plan and amount has been allocated for that.

The budget has allocated Rs 4.77 billion for the Prime Minister Agriculture Modernization Program. Presenting the FY2018/19 budget, Finance Minister Yuba Raj Khatiwada said that the government will complete digitization of records of farmland and ownership within two years.

Likewise, the budget has introduced a new concept of establishing agriculture knowledge center in all provinces in order to provide knowledge and skills regarding agriculture and livestock. 

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The government has also allocated a budget to provide grants and contracts to produce required raw materials for the agricultural industries. The government has also allocated a budget to establish at least one integrated community or cooperative agricultural farm in all seven provinces. 

 “Fruits nursery will be established in areas that lack crops production such as Chure-Bhawar,” said Khatiwada. “Sapling distribution and technology handover programs will be conducted in such areas.” 

He further said that this year, the government has allocated a budget for cooperative and agricultural colleges to encourage studies and investigations based on agriculture and livestock development. 

Similarly, the budget has given continuity to the provision of providing 75 percent grant on agro insurance to the farmers, like in the previous years. Meanwhile, the government will revise the framework and provisions of providing loan on commercial agriculture and livestock.

Besides, the government has also allocated budget to bring agro programs that could attract youth to agriculture. At the same time, continuity has been given to the program of providing subsidy to farmers based on production. 

An agricultural research center will be established in each local level, as per the budget. Likewise, loans of small farmers will be waived and organizational improvement programs will be carried out to make loan for small farmers effective.