Kathmandu, July 8

The general assembly of Network for the Development of Agricultural Cooperatives in Asia and the Pacific is being held from July 12 to 14 in Kathmandu. This is second time NEDAC is organising the assembly in Nepal.

Along with the assembly, the network would also organise a workshop on herbs, honey and trout fish. NEDAC is a regional forum, which links 21 apex cooperative organisations of 12 countries. It was established in 1991. The NEDAC assembly is held every two years.

Currently, NEDAC comprises 20 national and central agencies of eight countries — Nepal (4), India (7), China (1), Bangladesh (2), Sri Lanka (1), Thailand (2), Phillipines (2) and Iran (1).

The assembly will elect Nepal, the host country, as the chair of NEDAC. Nearly 250 members are expected to attend the gathering, which will be inaugurated by  Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli.

“Mordernising the agriculture system and ensuring markets to farmers are the main objectives of the assembly,” said Khem Pathak, president of National Agricultural Cooperative Federation. “Farmers get low returns on their produce due to high handedness of middlemen,” he added.

“The government provides agricultural cooperatives Rs 2 million every fiscal. We have invested them in fishery and dairy products in Gorkha and Lalitpur,” said NC MP and Vice president of National Agricultural Cooperative Federation Om Devi Malla.