Kathmandu: Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Bishnu Prasad Paudel held a meeting with the officials of the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development on Tuesday as part of the preparations for the budget of the upcoming fiscal year 2082/83 BS. Discussions during the meeting focused on the grants and subsidies allocated to the agriculture sector, with an emphasis on making them more systematic and effective.
According to National News Agency Nepal, the meeting included a comprehensive review of the current fiscal year’s grants and subsidy programs. It was agreed that new initiatives would be introduced to ensure these programs are more result-oriented. Finance Minister Paudel highlighted the need to reassess the incentives and grants provided to farmers to enhance their relevance and effectiveness.
Agriculture Minister Ramnath Adhikari emphasized that making the grants result-oriented is crucial for boosting agricultural production and achieving self-reliance in agro-products. The Agriculture Ministry currently provides grants for chemical fertilizers, livestock and crop insurance, sugarcane promotion, and other areas.
The Finance Ministry reported that the grants and subsidies for the current fiscal year amounted to nearly Rs 36 billion.