Kathmandu. The government is going to make the subsidies and concessions provided to the agricultural sector systematic and effective.
In a meeting held by the Ministry of Finance with the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development regarding the budget for the fiscal year 2082.83, discussions were held on seriously reviewing the currently implemented subsidy programs and moving forward in a new way and making them result-oriented. Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Bishnu Prasad Poudel said that although subsidy programs have been introduced to encourage farmers and increase production, it is necessary to review them and make them relevant and result-oriented.
Agriculture Minister Ramnath Adhikari emphasized the need to increase production in the agricultural sector by making subsidies result-oriented and becoming self-reliant in certain agricultural commodities. The Ministry of Agriculture has been providing subsidies such as premium subsidies for chemical fertilizers, crop and livestock insurance, and incentive subsidies to farmers to promote sugarcane cultivation. According to the Ministry of Finance, about 36 billion rupees have been allocated for such subsidies and concessions in the current fiscal year.
The participants in the discussion expressed the view that subsidies should be linked to production incentives. The participants in the discussion emphasized that certain programs currently implemented by the federal level, which are in line with the jurisdiction of the provincial and local levels according to the constitutional responsibilities, should be sent to the lower-level governments.
The budget discussion was attended by National Planning Commission Vice Chairman Prof. Dr. Shivraj Adhikari, Finance Secretary, Agriculture Secretary, Departmental Heads, and others.
