Ministry of Agriculture officials conduct 155 foreign visits in fiscal year 2081/082

Kathmandu. In the fiscal year 2081/082, officials under the Ministry of Agriculture visited 32 different countries.

During this period, they traveled to various regions ranging from Italy to Rwanda. According to documents from the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, the primary purpose of these visits was to participate in agriculture-related seminars, training, and meetings.

These officials visited countries including South Korea, the Philippines, China, Thailand, Japan, Italy, Azerbaijan, Colombia, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, Vietnam, Bhutan, Mexico, Maldives, Australia, Malaysia, Ethiopia, Switzerland, Norway, Tunisia, Pakistan, Rwanda, the Netherlands, Peru, Panama, Oman, Kenya, France, and Singapore. 

Agricultural officials made a total of 155 visits to these countries at various times. According to the ministry's annual progress report, Thailand was visited the most, with 36 trips involving 53 officials. However, India saw the highest number of participating officials; the report states that 100 officials participated in 19 visits to India, while 28 visited China. 

The expenses for these visits were covered by international organizations such as FAO, UNDP, ASDP Nepal, WHO, ICIMOD, and ADB. Some visits were also funded by the governments of the respective countries. It appears that bodies under the Ministry of Agriculture covered the costs for only one or two programs. 

Doubts over implementation of learning 

Concerns have been raised regarding how much of the knowledge and experience gained from these visits is actually implemented in Nepal. Former Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, Yogendra Karki, says, 'Traveling to learn is not a bad thing, but the main point is whether they put what they learned into practice after returning.' According to him, not everyone goes on these trips just for tourism; some go to learn. However, it makes a big difference whether the relevant person is sent to the program or not. 

'If a rice expert is sent to a potato-related program and an engineer is sent to a rice-related program, such visits do not benefit the agricultural sector,' says Karki, 'The main thing is what kind of person participates in the visit.' 

While a former secretary who did not want to be named did not wish to speak further on the matter, a joint secretary at the Ministry of Agriculture said, 'Who is sent on foreign visits depends on the discretion of the secretary and the minister. They can send anyone, and it is often found that unrelated individuals participate in these visits.' 

Giving an example, he says, 'An agricultural economist was sent to a Water Food Learning Week program, while a rice scientist was sent to a livestock and fisheries program.' The joint secretary mentions that many such examples can be found. However, in some cases, the relevant individuals did participate and were seen to have done some productive work upon their return. 

Asian visits more productive

Another former secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, Udaya Chandra Thakur, shared his experience that visits to Asian countries are more productive than those to European countries. 'In visits to European countries, one only sees, hears, and understands; it is difficult to implement what is learned there in the context of Nepal,' he said, 'But there are many examples of those who returned from visits to Asian countries showing progress by working in Nepal.' 

According to Thakur, the relevant individuals usually participate in most visits, but in some cases, unrelated administrative staff also go, whose selection is made by the head of the respective office. He added, 'It is natural to send administrative staff when they are needed in a delegation, but sometimes unnecessary people also go, which causes more harm than good.'