Kathmandu, March 18 Minister for Agriculture and Livestock Development Ghanashyam Bhusal has expressed commitment to fix the minimum support price of all agricultural products starting from the upcoming fiscal year. Organising a press meet today, Minister Bhusal said that policy of setting support price of all agricultural products will be implemented to ensure profit in agricultural business. “People are not very keen to start an agriculture business as it requires a lot of physical work, while the returns are not very attractive,” he said. “Hence, to guarantee profit in this sector, the government will set minimum support price for all agricultural products.” He also said that the government will set the minimum support price with 25 per cent profit margin for farmers and they will be allowed to raise the price of their produce reasonably. And if the farmers are unable to get the minimum price in the market for their produce, the government will make arrangements to purchase their produce, he said, adding, “Farmers will no longer have to face losses due to lack of market.” Bhusal has made his plans public four months after his appointment as the minister. “I have been studying and examining the situation of agriculture in the country and the root problems facing this sector,” he said. “Now I have come up with five policies that need to be implemented for development of the agriculture sector.” The first policy mentioned by the minister is grant on seeds, fertilisers, irrigation, electricity and machinery items needed for farming and production. The second policy is to hire technicians to provide support to commercial farmers. The third policy is to ensure easy financing access to farmers. Agriculture loans will be provided at five per cent interest rate. The fourth policy is regarding crop and livestock insurance to recover farmers’ losses. The fifth policy is to guarantee profit in agricultural business. However, the minister did not mention anything regarding recovering due payment of sugarcane farmers at the event.