Finance Minister Janardan Sharma has monitored the largest apple orchard in Nepal.
Minister Sharma inspected the apple farm of farmer Min Bahadur Bhandari, located in Guthichaur Rural Municipality 5, Jumla where there are 33,000 fuji apple plants.
While inspecting the garden, he emphasised that the agricultural sector has a significant contribution to improve the country’s economy and also said that apples of Jumla will help improve the economy.
He said that the government is ready to support the planting of 500 apple trees per farmer in a year.
According to him, the country’s economic prosperity is not possible without the increase in agricultural production.
He said that the government is ready to provide incentives, concessional loans, marketing and transportation of produced goods to the farmers and he came to inspect the garden to know the situation of apple production and marketing.
Finance Minister Sharma has said that Karnali has the ability to support the entire country, so it is necessary to increase investment in Karnali.
He emphasised that apple farmers should work harder.
He said that the government is serious about implementing the farmer pension programme in the remote areas, providing appropriate technology and fertilisers to the farmers in time.
After the farmers suggested that the government provide 100 saplings per farmer every year, Finance Minister Sharma promised that the government could give not only 100 but 500 saplings to a farmer.
Apples, beans and walnuts will help improve the economy of Jumla. It is necessary for the government of all three levels to bring policies to attract youth to agriculture.
The federal government makes a necessary investment policy for the development of agriculture in remote areas. Although Karnali is a province with abundant potential in terms of agriculture, tourism, and herbs, the economy of Karnali has not been able to improve due to lack of solid policies and sufficient budget.
Finance Minister Sharma also said that the government will take a firm policy to easily supply Jumla’s products to the market, give concessions to the farmers and eliminated involvement of the middlemen.
He also claimed that if sufficient investment was made in Karnali’s agriculture, the poverty of Karnali would end in five years.
He said that the government was trying to create an easy environment for Jumli products to reach the national and international markets.
Source : TRN,
