HoR session: Demand to ensure market for food products produced by farmers

KATHMANDU: The lawmakers have demanded to ensure market for food items produced by the farmers.

In a discussion on the government’s annual policy and programme for the upcoming fiscal year 2082/83 BS in the House of Representatives meeting today, they demanded market guarantee to make the country self-reliant in agriculture.

Sushila Shrestha said that it is very good that the government has included in the policies and programmes a provision on expanding online services and effective implementation of the policy to ensure the market of food items produced by the farmers should be effectively implemented.

Ram Prakash Chaudhary said that although many ambitious things have been included in the policies and programmes document, it has not addressed the farmers’ worry that they will not get irrigation facilities and fertilizers on time.

“Hydropower development, entrepreneurship policy, employment generation, start-up policy implementation are welcome,” he said.

Yogendra Mandal said it was a challenge to implement the policy to make the country self-reliant by increasing agricultural produce. “There is no good irrigation system. Farmers are not able to get fertilizer on time. And how can the country become self-reliant in agriculture?” he asked.

Policies and programmes did not come as expected: Lawmaker Pariyar

During the discussion on the government’s annual policies and programmes for the upcoming fiscal year 2082/83 BS in the meeting of the House of Representatives today, he opined that the implementation was challenging as the policies and programmes had not come as expected.

“Some things have been repeated in the policies and programmes set by the government for the next fiscal year. Some things are new. So it is mixed policy in nature,” he said of the government’s policies and programmes for the next fiscal year.

Stating that the positive topics included in the policies and programmes document should be reflected in the next fiscal year’s budget, he said, adding that the weakness of the government and the capacity of the private sector have added to the challenges in the implementation of the budget.

“The country’s prosperity is possible if all parties can form a common opinion on the economic and foreign policy of the country as well as on social transformation policy,” he said.

Kaluram Rai said that the policies and programmes have come in a refined manner. Stating that people with disabilities make up 2.2 percent of Nepal’s population, he said the policy on building accessible physical infrastructure for persons with 10 types of disabilities should be effectively implemented. He stressed that the discrimination against the people with disabilities would vanish if the policy on the rehabilitation of the disabled persons is implemented in its letter and spirit.

Sanjay Kumar Gautam said that new and objective issues have been included in the policies and programmes in the revised form.

Sarita Bhusal said there was no reason to criticise the policies and programmes as they were positive and capable of raising hope among the people.

“The policies and programmes include policy on green road campaign, youth-oriented programmes, plans for inclusive and sustainable development, ending duplicity, making agriculture self-reliant, providing basic education to all children and creating employment opportunities within the country through the youth-targeted start-ups,” she said.