"Agriculture profession should be made commercial, dignified"

KATHMANDU, JUNE 30: President Bidya Devi Bhandari has said the agriculture profession should be systematic, commercial, and dignified. She urged the bodies concerned to fulfill the goal of developing agriculture as an industry by increasing productivity. At an interaction organized at Sheetal Niwas on Wednesday on the occasion of the National Paddy Day, President Bhandari mentioned," On the one hand, there is a challenge before us to reduce the trade deficit of the country due to the increasing import of foods. On the other hand, there is a responsibility to ensure food security, nutrient-rich food, and healthy life for all the citizens of the country."

The President also expressed the view that maize, wheat, millet as well as indigenous crops could be promoted to reduce our dependence on paddy and rice. She stressed that the government should take initiatives to construct basic infrastructures like roads to take agro-products up to markets, irrigation facilities and agro-machinery. President Bhandari laid emphasis on the need of establishing and operation of agro-industries based on tea, cardamom, ginger, cotton, and sugarcane farming as farmers can get the economic benefit immediately from this cultivation, adding the three-tier of government should play an active role to utilize all the barren land.

Minister for Agriculture and Livestock Development, Mahindra Ray Yadav, officers of agriculture-related bodies, agro experts and office-bearers of Madan Bhandari Foundation were present on the occasion.