KATHMANDU, Aug 18: Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has stressed the need to revolutionize and modernize the agriculture sector in the country's most arable lands: Province 2.

In his special address to the provincial assembly, Oli said that doing so would help to increase production by as much as four times. "When we modernize agriculture and irrigation systems, we can produce more food grains which can be exported to benefit the country as well as the farmers," he said.

Oli urged provincial ministers and parliamentarians to put forward favorable plans and policies to modernize agriculture, one of the major sources of employment in the country. Agriculture accounts for around 27% of the country's Gross Domestic Products. He also expressed the federal government's commitment to bring necessary changes and support the provincial government to meet its goals.

To modernize agriculture, Oli suggested handful of ways; constructing dams in the Chure region, converting small land holding farmers into a cluster through cooperatives, using improved and hybrid and high-yield seeds to increase production.

Oli said that the embankments in the Chure region would help to keep the soil wet and arable while agriculture based cooperatives would help to magnify production. "When cooperatives lease lands of farmers, they will be able to produce more as cluster. This will benefit both the country and the farmers and ensure sustenance and sustainability," Oli said.

At present, one of the major problems relating to agricultural produce is small land holding farmers. Segregated, the farmers produce that can help families to sustain themselves for most of the time. "Hence, it is extremely important to modernize the sector because the more we have, the more opportunities we have to export," he said.

Apart from agricultural products, Oli also stressed on byproducts that could be packaged, processed and sold. "For example, if we have more milk, we can produce more byproducts such as cheese and butter."

Oli highlighted the benefits that cross border connectivity through trains and highways would help to strengthen trade relationships with both the neighbors while increasing people-to-people relationship.