Rs 57.48 billion budget allocated for agriculture and livestock development

Kathmandu, May 29: The government has allocated a budget of Rs 57.48 billion to the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development for the upcoming fiscal year.

Finance Minister Bishnu Prasad Paudel stated that in the budget for the upcoming fiscal year presented in the joint meeting of Parliament today, a total allocation of Rs 57.48 billion has been made for agriculture and livestock development.

The government has introduced plans including grants for the purchase of chemical fertilizers, incentives for farmers for organic fertilizers, and pilot programmess for the control of wild animals harmful for agriculture such as monkeys.

Similarly, the agriculture, livestock and fisheries insurance programme, promotion programme for spring rice, expansion programme of irrigated area through small irrigation, and national fruit orange, commercial fruits, vegetables promotional programme as well as the sheep/goats and cows/buffaloes programme targeted along major highways and road corridors in the mid-hills have been prioritized.

Finance Minister mentioned that priority has been given to the programmes for promoting high-altitude oranges, apples, walnuts, yaks, winter maize/mid-hill maize production and seed production programmes, indigenous crop promotion programs, facilitation of registration of local and indigenous crop/seed varieties, agricultural biodiversity conservation and strengthening of community seed banks, and area expansion and production increase programs in zone and super zone areas through the national agriculture modernization programme. (RSS)