Govt preparing agriculture policy: Minister Bhusal

By Our Correspondent,Janakpurdham, Aug. 12: Minister for Agriculture and Livestock Development Dr. Bedu Ram Bhusal has said that the government was preparing an agricultural policy for the overall development of the agriculture sector of the country.

He made this remark while talking with journalists at Janakpurdham Airport on Friday. Dr. Bhusal arrived in Janakpur to participate in the programmes being held in various districts of Madhes Province.

“There is no long-term agricultural plan in Nepal, which is an agricultural country. So, we are planning to introduce an agricultural policy,” he said.

Madhes Province will be declared a dry zone, he said, adding that the government has engaged in making preparations for the distribution of relief to the flood victims with priority.

“The recent rains have created a terrible situation with several incidents of floods and landslides, and the first priority should be to assess the damages caused by the floods and make preparations for the distribution of relief,” he said.

Stating that Nepal is not immune from the global food crisis, he said that there is enough arable land in Nepal, but we are not able to use it properly.

He said that the main reason for this was the lack of an irrigation system. “All the problems that have surfaced in the agricultural sector should be solved and the food crisis should be addressed,” he added.

He said that in order to increase agricultural production, a plan should be made in coordination with the Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation to arrange the irrigation facilities for the arable land.

He also stressed the need for reducing the use of chemical fertilisers and creating an environment to use compost and organic fertilisers so as not to destroy the fertility of the soil.