KATHMANDU, MARCH 11
Experts have emphasised on the need to uplift the agriculture sector as well as the lives of farmers to ease the present economic situation of the country.
Speaking at a programme organised on the occasion of 22nd anniversary of Sana Kisan Bikas Laghubitta Bittiya Sanstha Ltd (SKBBL), various stakeholders stressed the need to increase the production and productivity of the agricultural sector, pay attention to storage, processing and marketing of agricultural products to improve the economy.
According to Shree Krishna Upadhyaya, former chairman of Agricultural Development Bank, attention should be paid to the marketisation, not only to increasing production. He emphasised that the government should implement agricultural programmes to encourage farmers through agricultural cooperatives that have made a positive impact in rural areas.
"There are also cooperatives that have potential and have proven themselves to be successful and the time has come to identify them. The practice of looking at cooperatives and finance from the same point of view must be ended. Skills, knowledge, technology and awareness imparted to the farmers have made a significant contribution to the leadership development of the poor, Dalits, minorities and women through programmes organised by SKB- BL," he said.
Similarly, Khem Bahadur Pathak, chairman of SKBBL, said that the ongoing promotion of blaming the whole sector instead of solving the problem was affecting their work. "We are focused on improving the rural economy alongside working on the economic and social transformation of minority groups."
At the programme, Mahila Paribartan Sana Kisan Krishi Sahakari Sanstha Ltd was named the best among 1,459 partner cooperatives across the country.
A version of this article appears in the print on March 12, 2023, of The Himalayan Times.
