Kathmandu, August 29 :

The government of Japan has recently approved the utilization of counterpart fund under food aid worth Rs 120 million for the four on-going projects in Nepal, says a press statement issued by the embassy of Japan here today.

For the agriculture sector, the government of Japan has approved three projects that are being implemented by various agencies under the ministry of agriculture and cooperatives such as Agriculture Research Project (ARP), Animal Health Service Programme (AHSP) and Livestock Development Service Programme (LDSP).

The ARP is being implemented with an objective of increasing production and productivity of crop and horticultural commodities at farmers’ level through varietal improvement, crop management and integrated pest and disease management. AHSP is being implemented for the improvement of health status of livestock through vaccination, treatment and other health related support services at farmers level.

Similarly, LDSP is under implementation to boost livestock development and improve the quality of livestock products through technical support.

The counterpart fund is being used for developing model activities of goat development programme for poverty reduction. Similarly, in the irrigation sector, the government of Japan has approved a project entitled Operation Maintenance and Sustainable Management of Irrigation System which is being implemented by the department of irrigation under the ministry of water resources with an aim to improve effectiveness of the existing irrigation system.