Kathmandu, April 22

Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development (MoALD) is planning to organise International Organic Experts’ Conference next month.

A high-level task force for organic agriculture promotion announced today that the conference would be organised on May 14 and 15 in the Capital.

The ministry had formed a 15-member task force in January for the promotion and development of organic agriculture in the country.

Aiming to promote organic farming and replace use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides, the task force, under the ministry’s supervision, is organising this conference, said Ganga Acharya, a member of the task force.

“As per the government’s target to make the country’s agriculture sector free of chemical fertilisers and pesticides, we have decided to conduct the conference in the presence of several experts from foreign countries,” he said.

According to Acharya, organic experts from India, Bhutan, Cuba and Spain will be participating in the conference along with other 150 national and international participants.

“The experts will be presenting information about organic farming.

They will also suggest possibilities and challenges in Nepal for organic farming based on the international practices,” he said. Several presentations, interactions and meetings will be held during the twoday conference.

As per the ministry, all participants, including foreign speakers, have already been sent the invitations.

“The ministry is organising this conference to help achieve the government’s target to establish Nepal as an organic farming country in the next 10 years,” he further added. After the conference, the task force will submit the collected recommendations and conclusions to Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli.

The election manifesto of the ruling party had promised to make Nepal a chemical fertiliser-free country in the next 10 years.