Use resources well

It is essential to use helpful weather conditions like water resources and humidity sensibly for prosperity. Priority should be given to the production of cash crops like apples of Jumla and vegetables produced in Rukum Rolpa. Roads and pocket regions need to be developed. A minimum price for cash crops is needed. Storage facilities for export of vegetables, fruits, and cash crops are required. We must control product quality to be able to compete in the international market. Agricultural tools, irrigation, seeds and fertilisers need to be prioritised to make agriculture modern and market-oriented. An agriculture university must be established for overall development of agriculture.

—Dr Durga Mani Gautam,

Campus Chief, Paklihawa Agriculture Campus, Rupandehi

Help jute industry

Jute industries in Nepal face lots of problems like the present conflict, inexistence of internal market, increasing expenses on labour and competition from Bangladesh and India. There is a lot the budget could do.

• VAT concession on raw materials like Jute Batching oil (JBO) and in store material.

• 50 per cent concession on electrical bills.

• Rebate on local development fee for exporting raw jute.

• Compulsory use of jute bags for packing edible goods.

• Separate department for promoting jute industry.

• Introduce hire and fire of laborers.

• Promote raw jute production

• Additional facilities for exporting jute to third world countries.

—Raj Kumar Golcha, Former

Chairman, Nepal Jute Association

Ensure sustainability

Agriculture labour is slowly moving towards other sectors. The budget should take measures to stop this and also, help increase production. Policy of land use should be revised. Transgression of fertile land should be stopped. High quality seeds should be supplied. Technological and financial assistance should be provided for small irrigation projects. Budget should give priority to programs like agriculture, soil, forest and water conservation, sustainable land management, integrated pest management and nutrition to solve the problems of farmers. Similarly, the budget should allocate fund for bio-diversity conservation. The process of displac-ement of agriculture related infrastructures like training centres, laboratories and agriculture firms should be stopped as soon as possible.

—Krishna Prasad Baral

Programme Officer,

LE-BIRD, Pokhara

Build infrastructure

Agriculture credit should be given at low interest rate through ADB/N, financial institution and commercial banks. Subsidies should be granted on chemical fertilizer and agricultural spray. Modern technology ought to be introduced in farming system. Improved seeds, chemical fertilizers and modern equipments at a reasonable need to be provided. Land reform programme should be implemented. Dual land ownership system, fragmentation of agricultural land and failure to effectively implement the land utilization policy is hurting the sector. Agricultural marketing facilities should be developed rapidly and provision of warehouse facilities should be made available. Adequate and regular agricultural research has to be done.

—Bhubaneshwar Lamichhane ,

Lecturer, Mahendra

Multiple Campus