Addressing the program organized by the Ministry of Agriculture on the occasion of the 32nd World Food Day, the Prime Minister said that situation of food security in Dalit, marginalized communities and the Himalayan region as well backward areas and added that the government is involved in forwarding food security programs in subsidized rate in the areas. [break]
He said the government is engaged in making distribution system systematic to protect rights of all to food and added that the government is committed to take action against those involved in black marketing.
Stating that the government has implemented short-term and long-term policies for the development and expansion of the agricultural sector, Prime Minister Dr. Bhattarai said programs of distributing poverty identity cards, child nutrition in schools, and market monitoring have been forwarded to resolve food problems.
He added technical preparation of the programs has been completed and the programs will be implemented within a few days. On the occasion, the Prime Minister said the government was seriously working to promote the scientific food technology to increase food production and to make the present condition of food storage more systematic.
The government is committed to providing subsidy on fertilizers and seeds and sell the agro products through cooperatives and reach agro products directly to consumers from farmers with the adoption of scientific agricultural technology, he said.
Similarly, the government has forwarded the policy of giving subsidy on interest (more than nine percent) of investment made in the agricultural sector, the Prime Minister said. Stating that the situation of nourishment in the country should be improved, he stressed that people´s economic condition should be upgraded for this.
The government is making preparations for sustainable development and promotion of agriculture sector, he said and added that the 198-point action plan that the government has unveiled recently has given top priority to the agro sector.
Agriculture Secretary Jaya Mukunda Khanal said the government has adopted a strategy of giving grant on chemical fertilizers and high-yield seeds to increase food production in the country.Besides, the government has planned to give subsidy on 300,000 metric tonnes of chemical fertilizer in the upcoming year and give discount on VAT in the import of agro equipments.
World Food Program Resident Representative Dr Frank Paulin said that he was committed to providing assistance to the development of agriculture sector. On the occasion, 101 farmers across the country adjudged the best were honoured.
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