Govt planning to replace food import: Minister Dr Bhusal

Arghakhanchi, May 20: Minister for Agriculture and Livestock Development, Dr Beduram Bhusal, has said development of agriculture and livestock could contribute to economic progress.

He argued that the policies and programmes that government brought has signaled that initiatives could be taken for the development of agriculture. Once the agricultural and livestock productions were increased, it would help replace import. 

In the past, we exported food grains, but are bound to import now. It is our priority to reduce and replace the import, he viewed, adding that government is committed to increase export by modernizing agriculture.

Moreover, Tarai is a fertile land, so arrangement of adequate irrigation helps boost agricultural production.

Minister Bhusal was speaking at an interaction and felicitation programme organized at Bhumikastan Municipality on Saturday. He stated that currently 1.3 million hectares of arable land is left unused in Nepal, where the government is planning a collective and cooperative farming.

The unused land would be cultivated in a collective way so that it would be cost effective and help modernize farming. Mechanization is equally imperative, he underscored.

The price of rice, maize, wheat and other agro products would be fixed before harvest. Timely fixing of price would be a huge relief to the producers.

On the occasion, Mayor of Bhumikasthan Municipality, Jhabilal Thapa, said the agricultural programmes to increase production of cereals, fruits, vegetables and medicinal herbs should be launched.(RSS)