Kathm
andu, Oct 20: Minister for Agriculture Development Hari Prasad Parajuli has said that the government was preparing to draft an agriculture strategy to timely address the need of the agriculture sectors. Responding to the quires of the lawmakers in the meeting of the sub-committee today, Minister Parajuli said that the new agriculture strategy has a clear base and principle that fits in Nepal. The strategy will have the provision of ensuring to increase agricultural productions as per the written commitment of the country to the international communities, Minister Parajuli added.Mr Parajuli further said that the new strategy will ensure nutritious, optional and cultural foods to the people. Minister Parajuli further said that the previous agricultural strategies failed due to political instability, weaker implementation, ill management and inappropriate selection of the investment zones but the new strategy will be effective to reduce foreign dependency and to bring foreign aid under the government control.
Similarly, chief secretary of the government of Nepal Leelamani Poudyal said that the agricultural contribution in the national economy has been lessening since past 25 years though a large number of people are involving in this sector. A large scale of Productive lands has been converting in to housing plot due to lack of proper land use policy, chief secretary added. National Planning Commission member Dr Bharetendu Mishra said that the new policy is preparing to upgrade the country from least developed country to developing country by increasing the investment in agriculture sectors by 2022. Secretary at the Ministry of Agriculture Development Jaymukunda Khanal said that the Ministry is getting suggestions by holding discussions in Economic Infrastructure Committee of the Council of Ministers and National Planning Commission in course of finalizing the strategy. He said that the agriculture strategy was aimed at commercialization of the traditional agriculture and emphasizing the rights and privileges of the citizens involved in agricultural enterprises.At the meeting chaired by sub-committee president Ananda Pokharel, the sub-committee members said questions have arisen regarding food security, food rights and food sovereignty in the context of the strategy and asked the Minister on which basis and principle the strategy was prepared.
The members said that the strategy was silent regarding the way of alleviating the poverty through agriculture which is adopted by 66 per cent of the country’s population, the topic of maintaining good-governance was not clearly spelled out and although it was mentioned that a agriculture commission would be formed, it was not mentioned about formulating an agriculture act.They also criticised the strategy for failing to clearly specify the way how the subsistence agriculture was to be transformed into industrialization through modernization and commercialization. The sub-committee members also pointed out the need of further discussion and debate on the strategy. Krishi Weekly
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