Nepali Political Parties Unveil Ambitious Agriculture Agendas Ahead of Elections, Experts Express Skepticism

Kathmandu. The upcoming House of Representatives election on Falgun 21 is creating a political fervor across the country.

As the elections draw near, all political parties, big and small, have unveiled their electoral agendas and manifestos. Agriculture, considered the backbone of Nepal's economy, has been prioritized by all parties this time around.

Looking at the parties' manifestos, it seems that within the next ten years, Nepal will not only become fully self-sufficient in agriculture but will also join the ranks of major exporting nations. However, it remains to be seen whether these manifestos are merely tools to attract votes or genuine blueprints for an agricultural revolution.

Congress: A 10-Year Grand Campaign and Roadmap for Structural Reform

The Nepali Congress has defined agriculture this time not just as a sector of production but as a primary component of 'national security.' The Congress's manifesto resolves to celebrate the next 10 years as the 'Decade of Agriculture, Food, and Nutrition Security.' This signals that Congress now aims to free agriculture from its traditional subsistence style and transform it into a secure and organized sector. The commitment to set a minimum support price before production begins appears set to shield farmers from market risks. The long-term goal of a direct supply chain from 'farm to kitchen' is intended to break the nexus of middlemen and benefit both consumers and producers.

Direct Subsidies to Farmers' Bank Accounts and Guarantee of Financial Stability

Congress has proposed a new system of sending cash subsidies directly to bank accounts after production to economically empower farmers. This attempts to address past irregularities in subsidy distribution and complaints that genuine farmers were not receiving them. Beyond subsidized agricultural loans, the plan to implement a 'Stability Clause' ensuring fixed interest rates for 5 years guarantees financial security for farmers. The provision of soil testing and 'Soil Health Cards' in all 77 districts will lay the foundation for scientific farming, while the 'Digital Agriculture' app will provide farmers with direct access to market and weather information.

Irrigation Subsidies and Specialized Plan for Mountain Prosperity

Considering irrigation as an essential prerequisite for agriculture, Congress has announced a 50 percent subsidy on electricity tariffs. This aims to create an environment for year-round cultivation, particularly by promoting solar irrigation in the Terai and lift irrigation in the hills. Keeping in mind the specific characteristics of the high Himalayan region, Congress has introduced the 'Himal Prosperity Program,' which strategizes to commercialize medicinal herbs, apples, and yak/sheep rearing. Thus, Congress appears to have presented a multi-dimensional framework for agricultural development, encompassing geographical diversity.

UML: Focus on Self-Sufficiency in Agriculture and Physical Infrastructure

CPN-UML has made the full commercialization and modernization of agriculture the main basis for realizing its core slogan of 'Prosperous Nepal, Happy Nepali.' The UML manifesto sets a concrete goal of making the country self-sufficient in major food grains within the next 5 years. To achieve this, it mentions the operation of 'Agro Processing Zones' and 'Logistic Nodes,' which will solve post-production storage and processing problems. UML has proposed a revolutionary system of providing loans by keeping projects as collateral to attract large investments in agriculture, which could draw young people with skills but no land into farming.

Discussion on Chemical Fertilizer Factories and Insurance

To solve the perennial problem of chemical fertilizer shortages in Nepal, UML has revived its long-standing yet ambitious plan to establish a fertilizer factory domestically. The announcement of up to 90 percent subsidy on agricultural insurance premiums will provide significant relief to farmers from losses due to natural disasters. The plan to open agricultural equipment rental centers in every municipality will bring technology access to small farmers. UML's land management policy clearly directs the utilization of fallow land through a 'Land Bank' and encourages collective farming through land consolidation.

Commitment to Link Research and Technical Education with Production

UML plans to establish Agricultural and Veterinary Science Universities and Technical Education Institutes in each province to connect agriculture with science. This will not only produce skilled manpower in agriculture but also promote research tailored to local needs. UML's plan aims to inspire youth who have received agricultural education to become self-employed in their own country's soil. Prioritizing cooperatives and collective farming models, UML is committed to establishing agriculture as a respectable and profitable industry.

CPN: Scientific Land Reform and Socialist Agriculture

The Communist Party of Nepal (CPN) has positioned itself in favor of radical structural change in agriculture. CPN's main emphasis is on scientific land reform, proposing the revolutionary concept of 'land ownership for tiller farmers.' A strict policy of the state reclaiming fallow land not brought into production aims to discourage unproductive land holding. By making land consolidation and collective or cooperative farming mandatory, CPN appears to want to develop agriculture as the cornerstone of socialism.

Maximum Use of Technology: Entry of AI and Nanotechnology

The CPN has put forward a plan to increase the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI), bio, and nanotechnology, displacing traditional labor in agriculture. Although this may sound somewhat futuristic, CPN argues that it is indispensable for the agriculture of the future. The government guaranteeing the purchase of all produce at a fair price to ensure market access will motivate farmers to increase production. CPN's strategy is to qualitatively increase agricultural productivity by ensuring easy availability of improved seeds and fertilizers through local governments.

RSP: Digital Agriculture and Middleman-Free Market

The Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) has presented '100 Bases' connecting agriculture with new-age technology. RSP's main agenda is the abolition of the existing middleman system in agriculture. It claims that its transparent system, which matches production with demand through a digital app and connects farmers directly to the market, will ensure farmer profits. RSP prioritizes data-driven agricultural planning, which will pre-determine what to produce in which area and where its market lies.

Branding and Modern Concept of Land Integration

RSP emphasizes branding and quality certification to take domestic agricultural produce to the international market. Considering land fragmentation as a major problem, it has proposed a 'Land Pooling' or land integration model. RSP's framework, which encourages collective farming to make agriculture a respectable profession, seems to particularly attract the younger generation. To stop irregularities in fertilizer and seed distribution, RSP advocates for a digital and transparent system, envisioning corruption-free agriculture.

Agendas of Smaller Parties: Employment, Export, and Identity

In addition to the major parties, smaller parties have also interpreted agriculture in their own ways. The Janata Samajbadi Party (JSP) aims to create 5 million jobs and ensure full irrigation in the Terai. It is moving forward with commercial farming through scientific land consolidation, replacing traditional farming systems, and is committed to providing year-round irrigation facilities to all arable lands in the Terai-Madhes region. It has also prioritized a plan to build a network of 'silos' and 'cold stores' across the country for modern storage.

The Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) gives high priority to agriculture, aiming to become fully self-sufficient in vegetables, fruits, and food grains within 2 years and replace imports. RPP has proposed a plan to establish chemical fertilizer and agricultural equipment factories domestically through government or private partnership and provide special concessions on the necessary electricity for this. It has proposed a special program for Goshala (cow shelters) construction and cow conservation in line with indigenous identity, which is considered the basis of organic farming. In land management, it has adopted a policy to end dual ownership of land, convert Guthi land to tenancy rights giving ownership to tillers, and lease out fallow government land to the landless for 10 years on contract. Under the 'Earn While You Study' scheme, RPP has put forward a technology-friendly system involving students in agriculture and facilitating purchase-sale directly from the farm through a digital app.

The Ujyalo Nepal Party considers agriculture the main pillar of economic transformation, emphasizing reforms in the regulatory system and export promotion. Export-oriented agriculture and establishing a fertilizer factory domestically are its main priorities. The Pragatisheel Loktantrik Party (PrLopa) stated it would double productivity in 10 years and implement scientific land reform. The Shram Sanskriti Party advocates for labor respect and nature-friendly technology through the philosophy of 'Harkabad,' where agro-based small industries will be established in every village.

Superficial and Hasty: Experts

Agricultural expert and former Secretary Dr. Yogendra Karki has labeled the parties' manifestos as 'superficial and hasty.' In his analysis, although parties talk about large exports, they have failed to present a concrete action plan on how and where to export high-comparative advantage items like cardamom, coffee, and ginger.

He complained that the cardamom sector, which has a potential worth billions annually, has been neglected. Karki suggests that the lack of clarity on what statistics will be used to retain the 10-12 lakh youth leaving the country in agriculture raises suspicion that these manifestos are merely election slogans.

According to Dr. Karki, the biggest wound for Nepali farmers is the non-implementation of the minimum support price. Farmers cannot be secure until there is a government guarantee to purchase all crops, similar to India. The promises regarding fertilizer factories and insurance included in the manifestos, brought forth without implementation timelines and sources, appear to be merely for 'cheap popularity.' He argues that replacing successful past programs with new and seemingly impossible slogans will hinder the real development of the agricultural sector.

Lack of Identity and Classification: National Farmers' Group Federation

Panchakaji Shrestha, Chairman of the National Farmers' Group Federation, expressed concern that the manifestos did not address the classification and identification of farmers. He believes that as long as the state does not distinguish who the real farmer is and what kind of subsidy they need, investment in agriculture will be like pouring water into sand. Shrestha states that farmers remain confused because there is no plan for crop diversification according to geographical diversity, and talk of land consolidation remains confined to paper.

Chairman Shrestha observes that although climate change is the biggest global challenge today, Nepali parties have not given it much importance in their agricultural manifestos. He commented that organic farming is only mentioned by name, but there are no concrete programs to promote it. He pointed out that parties seem more attracted towards large and capitalist models instead of prioritizing investment in small farmers and cooperatives.

Overall, while the parties' manifestos have become attractive documents to draw votes, a reliable basis for changing the living standards of farmers is still not visible.

Farmers say that although the agricultural agendas prepared by the parties for the election are advanced, they are ambitious. Leading farmer Badri Sharma states that if even 30 percent of these manifestos are implemented honestly, Nepal's agricultural sector is certain to shed its old skin. He says, 'Experience from history tells us—there is a world of difference between what is written in the manifesto and the behavior after reaching government. As experts have pointed out, without a clear implementation roadmap and budget assurance, these points will only be flowers on paper. The time now is for farmers to question the parties on their commitments and pressure them for implementation. Whether the post-election government shelves these manifestos or brings them to the fields remains to be seen.'