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Kathmandu Saturday June 30, 2001 Ashadh 16, 2058.
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ASPR team to submit
inception report soon
Post Report
KATHMANDU, June 29 - The nine-member
Agriculture Sector Performance Review (ASPR) team, which is entrusted with the task of
studying Nepal’s performance in the agricultural sector, is preparing to submit its
inception report to the government anytime soon.
According to Dr Richard Vokes, Resident
Representative of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the inception report is likely to be
presented "very soon." Furthermore, the government, ADB and other concerned
parties are slated to hold discussion on the report on July 10 and 11.
The inception report is the first step
towards carrying out an assessment of Nepal’s achievement in the agricultural front,
which lays down the various activities that the ASPR team would undertake in the next
eight months.
The actual agricultural sector review will
kick off only after the inception report is cleared both by the government and the ADB.
The review, which is to continue till January 2002, is being carried out with technical
assistance of the ADB.
During the review period, the team will
assess Nepal’s achievement vis-a-vis the 20-year long Agricultural Perspective Plan
(APP), in addition to analyze other factors that have a bearing on the agricultural
sector. The APP, implemented since 1997, is a mega-plan of the government that aims to
revamp the same sector.
"The review is being carried out, among
others, to identify the possible flaws in the implementation of agriculture-related
projects and policies," Dr Vokes said. Furthermore, the assessment would also help to
readjust some of the ambitious targets envisaged in the APP that might prove redundant in
the changed context.
The team comprises of three international
consultants from New Zealand based ANZDEC Consultants and six Nepali consultants from CMS
Nepal. Francesco Goletti leads the international group while Abhilesh Pant leads the
Nepali side.
The team would work under a steering
committee participated in by the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives (MAC), Ministry
of Finance (MoF) and the National Planning Commission (NPC).
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