'Selling of fertilizers will be made transparent'

Kathmandu, March 8 (RSS): His Majesty's Government has brought into effect a national fertilizer policy with the objective of making the supply system more effective and supporting agricultural production.

The policy which has a core objective of increasing agricultural production through improvement in soil fertility is believed to facilitate the availability of fertilizers in keeping with the farmers' increasing demand for and interest in fertilizers.

According to information given at a press conference organised at the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives with the objective of highlighting the national fertilizer policy, the chemical fertilizers supplies system has improved following private sector participation in this sector since 2054 BS.

Total consumption of chemical fertilizers in fiscal year 2054/55 BS was 108,728 metric tons, and it is increased by 44 per cent in fiscal year 2055/56 BS. The consumption of the same in fiscal year 2057/58 was 156,093 metric tons.

The national policy is expected to facilitate effective implementation of an integrated crops management system promotion programme and improve the environment through mitigation of the adverse effect of increased use of chemical fertilizers on the soil.

Minister for Agriculture and Cooperatives Mahesh Acharya told the press conference that arrangements have been made to hold 20 per cent of the estimated amount of total consumption in stock so as to ensure regularity of supplies.

He also gave assurances that stock management and the selling and distribution of fertilizers will be made reliable, transparent and competitive.

Minister Acharya also made it clear that although the practice of providing subsidy on import of chemical fertilizers has already been stopped arrangements have been made to make the fertilizers available in remote hill districts which are not yet linked by road and to very poor and marginal peasants at discount rates through special agricultural programmes.

The new national policy will encourage domestic production, make the import and districution of chemical fertilizers reliable and transparent, and ensure equal opportunity for government and the private and cooperatives sector in dealings in chemical fertilizer, he said.

The policy is also aimed at restructuring the agricultual inputs corporation and enhancing its efficacy, and giving priority to better management of the compost, organic and chemical fertilizers produced in the country or imported, minister acharya said.

REP changes the face of Dolakha VDCs

Charikot, March 8 (RSS): The Rural Energy Programme (REP) jointly launched by His Majesty's Government and the United National Development Programme (UNDP) with the objective of developing alternative sources of energy by utilising local means and resources and improving the lifestyle of the people and environment has been very effective in dolakha district.

The Rural Energy Programme has been implemented in the remote VDCS of Lapilang, Suri, Bulung, Khopachangu, Bhusaphedi, Shyama And Chilankha.

Altogether 117 women community institutions and 107 men community institutions with a total of 4,188 members of 2,253 households have been constituted for implementing the Rural Energy Programme in the VDCs where electricity transmission lines have not reached.

Under the policy of the Rural Energy Programme, the local consumers are being mobilised to generate electricity from waterfalls and small rivulets.

At present 20 kilowatts of electricity is being generated through the tamakoshi Rivulet, 25 kilomatts from Kapti Rivulet, 10 kilomatts from Orang Rivulet, 15 kilowatts from Bhadrawati Rivulet, 11 kilowatts from Kotkhola Rivulet and 17 kilowatts from Mahadevkhola Rivulet and distributed to the local consumers.

Rural Energy Programme had provided Rs 6,035,464/-, His Majesty's Government Rs 1,923,570/-, Dolakha District Development Committee and the Village Development Committees Rs 2,392,330/-, Agricultural Development Bank a loan assistance of Rs 398,699/-, the local people voluntary labour worth Rs 4,101,186/- and Rs 280,000/- had been received from other sources for implementation these projects.

Altogether 20 forest conservation committees have been constituted in the VDCs, 12,500 cardamon saplings, 80,000 sapling of trees, 6,981 fruit saplings, 205,652 different kinds of plants31,990 grass plants have been planted in the VDCs.

Likewise, 1,595 temporary and permanent toilets have been built, 1,074 pits dug for dumping garbage and nurseries set up in all the VDCs excluding chilanka VDC.

Of the total 39,945 households in Dolakha district, 3,609 households receive electricity from the central grid while 1,563 households receive electricity under Rural Electrification Programme, according to statistics of 2058 BS.

Under the programme, the trained farmers have started cultivating cardamom, fruits, vegetables, "argeli" and "lokta" on a commercial scale.

As the members of the communities have also started bee keeping and rearing goats and buffaloes at their homes, their incomes have increased considerably.

Likewise, the members of the communities have also been organising various social activities in the VDCs regularly.

As a result of the efforts being made by the communities to gradually remove anomalies existing in the society, remarkable success has been achieved in controlling the consumption of alcoholic bewerages and gambling in the villages.