Subsidy reduction in fertilizers is an injustice to farmers: General Secretary Pokharel

Kathmandu, March 19: CPN-UML General Secretary Shankhar Pokharel has accused the current government of being ruthless towards farmers. In a press conference organized by the Department of Agriculture and Livestock, General Secretary Pokharel accused the current government of discouraging farmers. He said that the government has disappointed the farmers by saying that the government did not adjust the price even when the price of chemical fertilizers fell in the international market.

He said, “The government has increased the price of chemical fertilizers. That is unfair.” It is necessary for the state to provide special incentives for the development of Nepal’s economic sector. Subsidies from other sectors should be cut and kept in the agricultural sector. When imagining tourism to develop the economic sector in the future, it is necessary to produce healthy food in the country.

He argued that the current government has blocked the UML government’s proposal to conduct pesticide testing on agricultural products imported from abroad, which clearly shows what the new government is like. After the government led by Prachanda, the Ministry of Agriculture under the CPN-UML has stopped the proposal to test the agricultural products imported from abroad even though it reached the Council of Ministers. The country cannot be self-sufficient by increasing the price of chemical fertilizers that stop pesticide testing.

He is of the opinion that it is clear from the decision of the current government of Nepal to reduce the subsidy on chemical fertilizers that the government intends to increase the trade of Indian agricultural products by discouraging domestic production. He said that it is clear that the government is trying to increase the dependence on agricultural products due to the increase in the price of fertilizers and the increase in the cost of production and the excessive price of the produced agricultural products.