Hetauda Sub-Metropolitan City Prioritizes Agriculture for Youth Employment and Production

Makwanpur. Hetauda Sub-Metropolitan City has prioritized expanding irrigation, improving soil, and producing domestic seeds, along with operating self-employment programs with the goal of attracting the younger generation to agriculture.

Deputy Mayor Rajesh Baniya, while reviewing the progress of the previous fiscal year and presenting the budget for the fiscal year 2083-84, informed that programs focused on increasing agricultural production and income generation have been prioritized. According to him, the policy is to engage the new generation in productive agriculture through the youth self-employment program.

Under the soil health improvement program, soil samples have been tested. Based on the tests, agricultural lime has been distributed with a 50 percent subsidy to reduce soil acidity, and 40 metric tons of lime have been distributed free of cost with the help of the Provincial Soil and Fertilizer Testing Laboratory, informed Deputy Mayor Baniya.

Programs to expand fruit cultivation such as litchi, banana, dragon fruit, and avocado through farmer groups and agricultural cooperatives for the expansion of vegetable and fruit production are being operated in five locations. The budget has also prioritized expanding irrigation facilities in arable land and maintaining existing irrigation infrastructure.

Furthermore, to reduce the growing dependence on imported and hybrid seeds, domestic open-pollinated varieties of maize and paddy seed production have been encouraged. Under this, seeds will be produced on 750 katthas for Rampur Composite Maize, 15 katthas for Makwanpur-1 Paddy, and 10 katthas for Ram Paddy.

Deputy Mayor Baniya informed that under the Paddy Pocket Program transferred from the Federal Government, paddy cultivation programs are being operated on 300 katthas of land through Shri Sana Kisan Krishi Sahakari Sanstha in Ward No. 17.