Sudurpaschim, Aug 5: Chief Minister of Sudurpaschim Province, Kamal Bahadur Shah, has shared that modernization of agriculture sector, production growth and creating a situation to get returns as per investment are top priority of the province government.
Inaugurating the Seed Processing and Storehouse constructed by Farmer Multi-Purpose Cooperative Ltd at Lamkichuha municipality-4 today, Chief Minister Shah underlined that the Sudurpaschim Province government has been running different programmes encouraging farmers and agro entrepreneurs along with policy reforms for the promotion of agro entrepreneurship.
Though agriculture is the basis for livelihood of most of the citizens of Sudurpaschim, expected returns have not been achieved due to subsistence-based farming system, he opined.
The Chief Minister expressed the view that agriculture could be established as dignified and income-oriented profession only through a strong system of processing, storage and marketing along with production.
The Department of Agriculture Development under the Ministry of Land Management, Agriculture, and Cooperatives has provided a grant of Rs 1 million 715 thousand for machinery and equipment and Rs 2 million 500 thousand for building construction. The seed processing and storage facility was built with the province government’s cost-sharing.
General Manager Dambar Bahadur Shah said the project was built at a total cost of Rs 14 million 200 thousand, and the cooperative has invested additional funds from its own resources.
After the newly constructed storage facility becomes operational, it is expected that local farmers will find it easier to process, maintain the quality, and safely store the seeds they produce. General Manager Shah said that maintaining seed quality will also help with market management and is expected to contribute to increasing farmers’ income.
The goal is to store seeds of crops like rice, maize, and mustard in the storage facility and use them to increase farmers’ production.
Currently, rice is being cultivated on 140 bighas in Lamkichuha, Bardagoria, Janaki, and Bhajani with coordination with 150 farmers. It is believed that this will contribute to increasing farmers’ production, ensuring prices, and securing the market.