Aagya Khabar
Janakpurdham

The quota of chemical fertilizer allocated to Madhesh Province is set to be increased. Currently, the province has been receiving around 27.16 percent of subsidized fertilizer, but a high-level meeting has agreed to provide an additional quota.

Following the federal government’s declaration of Madhesh as a crisis-hit region on July 22, a discussion was held on Tuesday at the Ministry in Janakpur with the participation of Federal Minister for Agriculture and Livestock Development Ramnath Adhikari, provincial heads and ministers, federal parliamentarians, and senior officials from concerned bodies.

The meeting concluded that immediate arrangements for irrigation should be made in drought-affected areas of Madhesh and emphasized the need to focus on infrastructure development for long-term solutions. It was also decided that subsidies previously provided to sugarcane farmers should be continued.

According to Dr. Umesh Dahal, Secretary of the Ministry of Land Management, Agriculture and Cooperatives of Madhesh Province, the meeting decided to move forward with programs promoting organic fertilizers, soil improvement, and increased investment in agricultural infrastructure, alongside the distribution of chemical fertilizers.

The discussion was attended by Chief Minister Satish Kumar Singh, Provincial Agriculture Minister Janardan Singh Kshetri, federal parliamentarians Ramkrishna Yadav, Dev Prasad Timilsina, Amanlal Modi, Hari Prasad Upreti, Secretary of the Federal Ministry Dr. Gobind Sharma, Chief Secretary of Madhesh Province Madan Bhujel, among other officials.

Federal Agriculture Minister Adhikari expressed his commitment to immediately address the issues raised in the meeting by preparing and implementing immediate, short-term, and long-term plans based on cooperation between federal, provincial, and local governments.