Agriculture Ministry consulted for upcoming annual budget

Kathmandu, March 11: 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 in the lead-up to the formulation of the budget for the upcoming fiscal year 2082/83 BS.

During the meeting, discussions were held on the issues of grants and subsidies to be given to the agriculture sector and the ways to make them systematic and effective. On the occasion, a serious review was held of the grants and subsidy programs being implemented by the government in the current fiscal year.

As discussed, a new move will be taken and the programs will be made result-oriented. During the meeting, Finance Minister Paudel said that the incentive and grant given to the farmers should be reviewed, made relevant and result-oriented.

Likewise, Agriculture Minister Ramnath Adhikari said the grant should be made result-oriented to increase agricultural production and make the country self-reliant on agro-products. The Agriculture Ministry has been providing grants for chemical fertilizer, livestock, crop insurance, sugarcane promotion and some other areas.

According to the Finance Ministry, such grant and subsidy amounts in the current fiscal year reached almost Rs 36 billion. —RSS