Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has asserted that the sustainable agriculture development could only achieved through modernization, commercialization and mechanization of agriculture.
Addressing the international conference themed on ‘Agriculture Strategy and Concept for Doubling the Agriculture Income in the SAARC Region’, that kicked off Thursday, PM Oli shared that projects as ‘Pocket’, ‘Block’, ‘Zone’ and ‘Superzone’ were implemented through the Prime Minister Agriculture Project.
Expressing his concerns over Nepal not being self-reliant in agriculture despite nearly two-thirds of the population in the country involved in the agriculture, Oli said that the constructive suggestions received from the conference should be brought into effect to double the agricultural production.
More than 300 agriculture experts from SAARC-member countries have taking part in the four-day conference.
The conference is organized jointly by the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, Agriculture Information and Communication Center Nepal and the Agriculture Extension Committee in association with the International Agriculture Extension Committee, Hyderabad, India. It will continue till September 23. As many as 85 working papers will be presented and discussed in the conference.
The 18-point declaration issued after the Fourth BIMSTEC Summit held couple of weeks back had also laid emphasis on increasing agriculture production.
Agriculture Minister Chakrapani Khanal said that the conference will discuss on policy reforms for agriculture extension services, novel and multi-sectoral agricultural extension concept, climate adaptation, agriculture extension methods targeted to small farmers and agriculture extension strategy for agriculture commercialization and development of agri industries.
Around three-fourths of the world's people live in South Asia and the main challenge SAARC member countries is the poverty and food insecurity.
Nepal alongside neighboring countries has a resolution to double agricultural productions within next five years, and for that, necessary policies and programs are being made, it has been said. A roadmap has been created and is being implemented to bring down starvation to zero as part of achieving Sustainable Development Goals and agricultural development strategies.
