Melamchi gears up for food sufficiency campaign

Kathmandu - Melamchi Municipality in Sindhupalchowk is all set to launch a campaign to promote local production of vegetables and foods. The campaign to be launched in line with the local government's policies and programmes for the upcoming fiscal year seeks to motivate people to produce vegetables and food by utilizing the lands left uncultivated for long.

Mayor Dambar Aryal said the municipality had primarily pursued policies of providing agricultural and livestock development services to farmers through an integrated service center, commercializing subsistence-based agricultural system to make the municipality self-sufficient on vegetables, dairy products, meat and food grains.

It could be realized with the launch of special programmes by announcing pocket zones for fruits and cash crops to promote agriculture. Smooth distribution of seeds and fertilisers to farmers, establishment of agricultural produces collection center in major market areas, documentation of barren and public land inside the municipality, encouragement to farmers to practice collective farming and establishment of model agriculture farms and fruits and nursery are the priorities of the municipality.

'One ward one agriculture' with management of livestock technician, expansion of agriculture insurance, involvement of youths returned home after losing foreign employment due to COVID-19 crisis to get engaged in agricultural activities are other policies of the municipality. It is to seek coordination from the Federal and State governments for the same.