Rs 730m relief plan proposed
BY PRABHAKAR GHIMIRE
KATHMANDU, Sept 3 - The Ministry of Agriculture has proposed a Rs 732 million plan for rehabilitation and relief of farmers affected by the recent devastating Koshi flood. The proposal, which was submitted to Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal on Tuesday, includes immediate, mid- and long-term programs for the benefit of flood victims - mainly farmers in 10 village development committees of Sunsari district.
"We have demanded Rs 732 million in the proposal for short, mid and long-term programs for farmers of the area," ministry spokesperson Dr. Hari Dahal told the Post on Wednesday, adding that the proposal would be forwarded to the cabinet. According to Dahal, immediate relief programs include distribution of composite kits that contain wheat, maize and potato seeds and fertilizers. Moreover, the immediate relief programs aim at distribution of medicine for cattle, sanitary materials and fingerlings, support for vegetable farming on riverbanks destroyed by the flood, reconstruction of irrigation canals, installation of shallow tube-wells and soil testing. "We have proposed that agricultural loans - both principal and interest - owed by farmers be cancelled in view of the huge losses they have suffered," said Dahal, who is also coordinator of the Relief Work Implementation Committee under the ministry.
The ministry has also recommended mid- and long-term plans for developing seeds for food grain, secure storage and distribution, and restoring of soil fertility in the affected farmlands. The ministry also plans to set up Community Service Centers with seed money of Rs 10 million to enhance the skills of farmers in dealing with disease, farming methods, and exploring markets for agro products. Livestock will be treated without charge for three months to avoid further economic burden on farmers, said Dahal. Special arrangements will be made to collect milk from the affected areas through the Dairy Development Corporation to prevent thousands of liters of milk going to waste every day.
According to the ministry, more than 6,800 head of cattle have perished in the past two weeks, which amounts to a loss of Rs 13.2 million. Around 80,000 liters of milk is going to waste each day due to lack of access to markets. The flood wiped out standing crops - paddy, banana, sugarcane, jute - and fisheries on more than 5,300 hectares of land causing a loss of more than Rs 300 million in the district. In a bid to strengthen the farmers' capabilities in animal husbandry, the ministry has proposed programs to improve the breeds, besides setting up local livestock markets.
The UN Food and Agriculture Organization has provided US$ 100,000 to help the ministry provide high nutrition feed and treatment for the animals in the affected areas.
Source: The Kathmandu Post, 4 September 2008
KATHMANDU, Sept 3 - The Ministry of Agriculture has proposed a Rs 732 million plan for rehabilitation and relief of farmers affected by the recent devastating Koshi flood. The proposal, which was submitted to Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal on Tuesday, includes immediate, mid- and long-term programs for the benefit of flood victims - mainly farmers in 10 village development committees of Sunsari district.
"We have demanded Rs 732 million in the proposal for short, mid and long-term programs for farmers of the area," ministry spokesperson Dr. Hari Dahal told the Post on Wednesday, adding that the proposal would be forwarded to the cabinet. According to Dahal, immediate relief programs include distribution of composite kits that contain wheat, maize and potato seeds and fertilizers. Moreover, the immediate relief programs aim at distribution of medicine for cattle, sanitary materials and fingerlings, support for vegetable farming on riverbanks destroyed by the flood, reconstruction of irrigation canals, installation of shallow tube-wells and soil testing. "We have proposed that agricultural loans - both principal and interest - owed by farmers be cancelled in view of the huge losses they have suffered," said Dahal, who is also coordinator of the Relief Work Implementation Committee under the ministry.
The ministry has also recommended mid- and long-term plans for developing seeds for food grain, secure storage and distribution, and restoring of soil fertility in the affected farmlands. The ministry also plans to set up Community Service Centers with seed money of Rs 10 million to enhance the skills of farmers in dealing with disease, farming methods, and exploring markets for agro products. Livestock will be treated without charge for three months to avoid further economic burden on farmers, said Dahal. Special arrangements will be made to collect milk from the affected areas through the Dairy Development Corporation to prevent thousands of liters of milk going to waste every day.
According to the ministry, more than 6,800 head of cattle have perished in the past two weeks, which amounts to a loss of Rs 13.2 million. Around 80,000 liters of milk is going to waste each day due to lack of access to markets. The flood wiped out standing crops - paddy, banana, sugarcane, jute - and fisheries on more than 5,300 hectares of land causing a loss of more than Rs 300 million in the district. In a bid to strengthen the farmers' capabilities in animal husbandry, the ministry has proposed programs to improve the breeds, besides setting up local livestock markets.
The UN Food and Agriculture Organization has provided US$ 100,000 to help the ministry provide high nutrition feed and treatment for the animals in the affected areas.
Source: The Kathmandu Post, 4 September 2008
