Kathmandu: The government has earmarked a budget of Rs 57.48 billion for the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development for the upcoming fiscal year. This allocation was announced by Finance Minister Bishnu Prasad Paudel during a joint session of Parliament.
According to National News Agency Nepal, the budget includes several strategic initiatives aimed at bolstering the agricultural and livestock sectors. Key measures include grants for the purchase of chemical fertilizers, incentives for farmers to use organic fertilizers, and pilot programs to control wild animals that pose a threat to agriculture, such as monkeys.
The budget also prioritizes the agriculture, livestock, and fisheries insurance program, along with a promotion program for spring rice. Additionally, there are plans to expand irrigated areas through small-scale irrigation projects and to promote national fruits like oranges, as well as commercial fruits and vegetables. Specific programs targeting sheep, goats, cows, and buffaloes along major highways and road corridors in the mid-hills are also emphasized.
Finance Minister Paudel highlighted the government’s focus on promoting high-altitude crops such as oranges, apples, and walnuts, as well as yaks and maize production in mid-hill areas. Other priorities include seed production programs, indigenous crop promotion, registration facilitation for local and indigenous crop varieties, agricultural biodiversity conservation, and strengthening community seed banks. The national agriculture modernization program aims to expand areas and increase production in designated zone and super zone areas.