Agricultural products expected to increase with timely rainfall, availability of workforce

Kathmandu - Agricultural products are bound to boost this year with timely rainfall and availability of human resources. Many people have left city areas for their home during nationwide lockdown imposed to contain coronavirus outbreak and they are expected to address the increasing demands for human resources for agriculture during lockdown.

Those who returned from foreign countries have also joined the force as needed workforce for agriculture. People returning home from various cities of Nepal and foreign countries during lockdown have started growing crops, said Dhawa Lama, chairperson of Sunapati rural municipality in Ramechhap district.

"A large number of people returned home to Ramechhap during lockdown. We will encourage them to engage in various agriculture farming. Efforts are underway to provide seeds and fertilizers in an easy way," said Ramesh Basnet, mayor of Manthali municipality.

Discussions were underway to find ways to increase agricultural products by involving those who returned home during lockdown in agriculture, said Ghana Shyam Raut, mayor of Dudhauli municipality in Sindhuli district.

Initiatives would be taken to provide concessional loans for farmers to start livestock and fish farming in a bid to attract the returnees to agriculture, he said. Rs 3 million to each ward Rs 3 million has been managed for each ward to attract people to agriculture at this time of crisis, said chair of Marin rural municipality, Pani Raj Bamjan.

Meanwhile, Sunkoshi rural municipality has urged those people who have returned home from city areas of the country and foreign countries to become self-reliant by engaging in agriculture. Programmes to attract them to agriculture and engage them in skill training would be in place soon, said the municipality chairperson Dipa Bohara.