Unity For Peace

DEPUTY Prime Minister Badri Prasad Mandal, emphasising the need of national unity and cooperation from all sectors for ending the violence and restoring peace in the country, called upon all political parties not to obstruct the peace process. Addressing a function in Butwal the other day, Deputy Prime Minister Mandal said that no Nepali would ever benefit from violence, conflict and terrorism. The seven years of violence have seen a great deal of political instability, uncertainty and economic stagnation. As a result, all including Maoists themselves have realised the need of peace. In view of national need and desire of the people, the government right after it came to power started the peace process. The cease-fire between the government and Maoists is the result of the sincere and serious efforts of the government for peace. In fact, the cease-fire and peace process have brought joy and cheers to all Nepalese people as well as Nepal’s well wishers abroad. The present cease-fire and peace process need to be translated into a lasting peace for the long term interest of the country. The government is, in deed, moving ahead very cautiously to make the peace process a success. The government is currently engaged in pre-talks consultations with Maoists as well as leaders of other different political parties to finalise the agenda and modalities of the peace talks. As demanded by political parties and civil society, the government and Maoists are preparing a code of conduct for the peace talks, which, according to Minister for Works and Physical Planning Narayan Singh Pun, is at the final stage and would be made public soon. In order to create a national consensus and involve all political forces in the peace process, Prime Minister Lokendra Bahadur Chand has called the second all-party meeting on Monday. All these efforts indicate the seriousness and commitment of the government for restoring peace and stability in the country. In this critical juncture, political parties and members of the civil society need to act responsibly for the cause of the nation and the people and extend a helping hand to the government in the peace initiatives. However, activities and remarks of some political parties do not appear very responsible regarding peace, and democratisation in the country. These parties are putting unnecessary demands and conditions, which may create a roadblock to the peace process. Peace is the most important one prerequisite for the development of the country and national unity and consensus are a must for this. At this critical point of history, parties need to discourage any efforts that may derail the peace process and demonstrate a national unity.

Popularise It

DURING a five-day workshop on the improvement of lentil cultivation in Nepal, it was revealed that with the implementation of the three-year project on lentil and lathyrus in the cropping system of Nepal, the Nepalese farmers, as per a news item carried by this daily the other day, are being increasingly attracted to the cultivation of lentil and other legumes. As per the report, the workshop was jointly organised by the Nepal Agricultural Research Council, the International Centre for Agricultural Research in the dry areas, the Centre for Legumes in Mediterranean Agriculture and the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research. Legumes or lentils, despite being derisively dismissed by some well-to-do sections of the society as the poor people’s staple source of protein intake, do have an important role to play in the agricultural sector. And, through it, in the economic well-being of not only the nation but also of the people. For, if the agriculture sector still continues to be the mainstay of the nation’s economy through its large contribution to the GDP, then it is the sector that gives gainful employment opportunities to over 90 per cent of the people who are small farmers trying to eke out a subsistent level of living from their small farms. Hence, if the nation’s economy is to remain buoyant and the spectre of hunger kept at bay from the doorsteps of the farmers, then the agriculture sector not only needs to be given due priority but efforts to boost its productivity should also be forthcoming from the concerned quarters.

It is herein that the legumes come handy in helping both the agriculture sector and small farmers to boost farm outputs. For, legumes are noted for their ability to draw nitrogen—one of the essential elements in all compost or chemical fertilisers—from the air and infuse it in the soils through the nodules in their roots. When the upper parts of the legumes are harvested, the roots, with their nitrogen-rich nodules, remain in the soils, thereby enriching the soils with nitrogen. In other words, legumes are a boon to farmers for two reasons. One, they supply the farmers with protein-rich pulses that either help them to supplement their low-protein diets or earn extra money by selling the excess pulses. Secondly, they enrich the soils with nitrogen. Hence, the need to popularise legume cultivation among more farmers is always there.