Ministry of Agriculture to Expedite Registration of Nearly 1.7 Million Unlisted Farmers

Kathmandu. The Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development is set to expedite the registration of approximately 1.7 million farmers across the country who are yet to be listed.

The delay in listing around 1,737,000 farmers was attributed to staff management at local and regional levels, political fluctuations, and some technical reasons, according to Ministry Information Officer Mahananda Joshi. He informed that 2,393,000 farmers have been included in the list so far. Preparations are underway to quickly incorporate the remaining farmers into the count and connect them to the electronic information system.

Farmers connected to this system will be distributed identity cards, based on which they will be provided with various services and subsidies. This includes necessary assistance related to chemical fertilizers, seeds, subsidies, service management, and other facilities. Coordination will be sought with local levels across the country to identify genuine farmers, and integrated data collection and record-keeping will be maintained, including details of the land area cultivated and the produce generated by the farmers.

The Agriculture, Information, and Training Center under the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development has stated that listed farmers will be classified into four categories based on their land details, agricultural production, and income: subsistence farmers, small farmers, medium farmers, and large farmers.

The Center has urged farmers to register their names at their respective local levels. According to the Agricultural Census 2078, there are 4,130,000 farmers. It is noted that the number of farmers obtained from the agricultural census may fluctuate slightly. Center Officer Sanjeev Pandit stated that some farmers included during the census may have left the profession, while some new farmers might have been added.