Kathmandu: Minister for Agriculture and Livestock Development, Ramnath Adhikari, has stated that the government is committed to advancing the interests of farmers. Addressing the 22nd National Paddy Day and Paddy Transplantation Festival, 2082 BS at the National Seed Science Technology Research Center, the Minister assured that the State will prioritize farmers’ issues despite limited resources.
According to National News Agency Nepal, the event was organized by the Centre for Crop Development and Agro Bio-diversity Conservation, the Department of Agriculture, National Farmers’ Commission, and the National Agricultural Research Council. The Day was celebrated under the theme ‘Intensification in Rice Crops: Food Security and Self-Reliance’.
Minister Adhikari highlighted the importance of focusing on production to achieve national prosperity and emphasized promoting all rice varieties available in the country to attain self-sufficiency. He also reiterated the government’s commitment to ensuring easy access to fertilizer for farmers.
Kusum Thapa, President of the Agriculture, Cooperative and Natural Resources Development Committee, stated that the parliamentary committee will engage in policy dialogue to address food-sufficiency urgency and provide necessary directives to the government.
Deepak Kumar Kharal, Secretary at the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, advocated for collective efforts to replace agricultural imports. He noted the transformation of arable land into residential areas due to the land utilization policy, stressing the need to address this issue.
Krishna Prasad Timsina, Executive Director of the Nepal Agricultural Research Council (NARC), mentioned the development of different rice varieties to tackle climate change-related challenges. Timsina shared that preparations are underway to make Nepal self-sufficient in rice by 2030.
Dayaram Maramachi, honored with the President Outstanding Farmer Award, emphasized the necessity for farmer-friendly policies and programs to enhance food self-sufficiency. Dr. Ram Krishna Shrestha, Joint-Secretary of the Ministry, presented a working paper on self-sufficiency in paddy and rice, noting a decline in Nepal’s rice production self-sufficiency.
Keshav Devkota, Chief of the Centre for Crop Development and Agro Bio-diversity Conservation, explained the objective of paddy plantation, mentioning that Asar 15 has been celebrated as National Paddy Day since 2061 BS to boost farmers’ morale and honor their labor. Rice, being a major food crop, plays a significant role in food security.
Despite two types of paddy being planted in Nepal-monsoon and spring paddy-spring paddy is planted on only about seven percent of the total paddy cultivation area. There is a strong possibility of achieving self-sufficiency in food and enhancing food security by expanding spring paddy cultivation areas.