MELAMCHI, JULY 5

Melamchi Municipality in Sindhupalchowk is all set to launch a campaign to promote local agricultural produce.

The campaign to be launched in line with the local government’s policies and programmes for the upcoming fiscal year, seeks to motivate people to produce vegetables and food grains by utilising the lands left uncultivated for long.

Mayor Dambar Aryal said the municipality had primarily adopted policies to provide agricultural and livestock development services to farmers through an integrated service centre, commercialising subsistence-based agricultural system to make the municipality self-sufficient in vegetables, dairy products, meat and food grains. It could be realised with the launch of special programmes by announcing pocket zones for fruits and cash crops to promote agriculture.

Smooth distribution of seeds and fertilisers to farmers, establishment of agricultural produce collection centre in major market areas, documentation of barren and public land inside the municipality, encouraging farmers to practise collective farming and establishing model agriculture farms and fruits and nurseries are the priorities of the municipality.

‘One ward one agriculture’ with management of livestock technician, expansion of agriculture insurance, involvement of youths who have returned home after losing employment abroad due to COV- ID-19 crisis in agricultural activities are other policies of the municipality.

It will seek help from the federal and provincial governments for the same.

A version of this article appears in e-paper on July 6, 2020, of The Himalayan Times.