KATHMANDU, OCT 12

Minister of Agriculture and Livestock Development Dr Beduram Bhusal has said summer paddy plantation campaign should be launched in the country.

At a programme organised by the Depart-ment of Agriculture here today on the occasion of the 43rd World Food Day, Minister Bhusal pointed out the need to launch summer paddy campaign on 100,000 hectares of land. The programme was organised under the theme 'Water: The Basis of Life and Food'.

'India has stopped exporting paddy to Nepal.

Let's do summer paddy plantation on 100,000 hectares of land to fulfil the shortage of paddy and produce 600,000 metric tonnes of paddy,' Minister Bhusal said.

Minister Bhusal further said, 'There will be no shortage of food grain if the problems of irrigation, required agriculture equipment, and fertiliser are resolved.'

He mentioned that the country could be self-sufficient in food grain by 2035 after using hybrid seed and making arrangement of irrigation facility, adding that there would be agricultural revolution only after constructing the East-West canal.

Similarly, Secretary at the Ministry Dr Rewati Raman Poudel said it was necessary to transform the agricultural products produced by small farmers into industry.

He emphasised that Agriculture Development Bank should provide financial support to farmers.

Stating that the number of farmers had increased but production of agricultural products had reduced following decrease in land for cultivation, Chairperson of National Farmers' Commission Prem Dangal mentioned that a big challenge had surfaced in the agriculture sector due to this.

A version of this article appears in the print on October 13, 2023, of The Himalayan Times