Need To Encourage Indigenous Products

Nepal is blessed with favourable agro-ecological conditions. The country has diverse climatic zones ranging from mountains and hills to plains. As a result, a various crops and fruits are grown here. However, for a variety of reasons, the country has failed to reap the benefits from nature-gifted environments. Agriculture is still the main occupation of around two-thirds of the population and makes a significant contribution to the national economy, although the attraction to this sector is gradually declining.  It is unfortunate that Nepal has miserably failed to develop the agricultural sector. This is because the government does not seem to have prioritised agriculture although it claims to give a top priority to agriculture on policy documents. 

In Nepal, traditional farming systems are in vogue. Agricultural mechnisation is yet to be widely adopted. There is lack of facilities for farming. The government does not supply agricultural inputs such as seeds and fertilisers in time. There is lack of irrigation facilities. So most farmers have to depend on rain to carry out farming activities. Irrigation projects are not completed in time. The Sitka Irrigation Project is a case in point. There is lack of manpower owing to migration of rural people to urban areas or abroad with the result that large swathes of land have remained barren. The government time and again warns against leaving arable land barren but it does not create an environment conducive to utilising the fallow land. 

Decline 

On the one hand, there is a reduction in agricultural production, while on the other agricultural productivity is also declining owing to agronomical and other factors. Climate change impacts have also been felt in Nepal, affecting the agricultural sector. Other obstacles to agricultural development are land fragmentation, lack of new technology and low investments.

It is not that Nepal has not drawn up any strategy for boosting the agricultural sector. For example, the long-term strategy for net-zero emissions submitted in 2021 accords a top priority to agriculture, including a switch-over to better cultivation practices, rice intensification systems, better manure management, soil organic matter enrichment and soil management practices such as soil tillage, adaptive and resilient varieties and breeds, expanded adoption of controlled release of stabilised fertilisers, better enteric fermentation processes and promotion of agroforestry and other sustainable agricultural systems.  

It would be germane to note that the present-day reality is that Nepal has been gripped by dependency syndrome when it comes to agricultural products. Every day, a large quantity of agricultural products is imported from India and other neighbouring countries. The government finds it easy to import such products all the way from India and other neighbouring countries while indigenous products grown within the country is left to rot away. Small-holding farmers often complain that their products do not find a market. Even if there is a market, middlemen take advantage of the situation. In fact, they earn more than the farmers with relatively little efforts. The farmers have to work hard on their farms. Sometimes, they have to take loans from banks, landlords or others. They may even incur a loss despite their hard work. Sugarcane farmers have to struggle to get prices for their products. 

To eliminate farmers’ woes, the government should build infrastructure like agricultural roads for easy transport of agricultural products to markets, take measures to eliminate middlemen to ensure fair prices to the farmers and take import-substitution measures to minimise huge imports of agricultural products. The government can promote markets by setting up fruit and vegetable cooperatives in various parts of the country, including in the Kathmandu Valley. This will help find markets for agricultural products such as fruit, vegetables and cereals. Such cooperatives will generate employment opportunities. Local farmers will also be encouraged to produce more. And their livelihoods will also improve to some extent. 

The government should make strategies for utilising vast swathes of land left barren. Such land can be taken on lease and collective farming practices can be adopted. This will be a win-win situation for both the farmers and the government. The farmers can enjoy some income by way of land leases, while the government can make money from the production. What is more, the government can provide job opportunities for more and more people, which is likely to minimise migration from rural areas.

Salutary climate

It need not be reiterated that Nepal has a salutary climate. As such, the fruit, vegetables and crops grown here are of high quality. Such products are far better than imported ones. However, the people are forced to consume imported products, no matter whether they are healthy or not. Growing population and changing consumption patterns have lead to huge food imports. Huge imports are, in a sense, responsible for the apathy towards growing food in the country itself, resulting in a decrease in food production. Depending on food imports is perilous. When adverse situations such as conflicts, disruptions or trade embargoes crop up, there will be great difficulty managing food. Rice is the staple food for the people but it has to be imported. During the first seven months of this fiscal year, rice worth Rs. 13.1 billion was imported as per the trade statistics of the Department of Customs. 

Most of the small farmers in Nepal are engaged in sustenance farming. By doing so, they are eking out a living. The government should, therefore, embark upon special programmes for the benefit of such farmers. The government should make arrangements for inputs such as improved seeds and fertilisers, farming equipment, markets, transport, distribution and storage facilities. More importantly, the government should develop a strong will to attain self-sufficiency in agricultural products, which will cut back imports of agricultural products. After all, encouraging indigenous products is more beneficial that importing such products. 

(Maharjan has been regularly writing on contemporary issues for this daily since 2000.)