KATHMANDU, Aug 16: Nepal
is to sign new agreements with two countries and renew its existing
agreement with three others including China and India to enchance supply
capacity of agricultural product by commercializing the sector.
Officials at the Ministry of Agriculture Development (MoAD) are busy
finalizing the agendas to be incorporated in the deals that are crucial
to increase farm production in Nepal and enhancing expertise in
agriculture sector.
Prabhakar Pathak, spokesperson of the MoAD said the ministry was
preparing to sign new agreement with Turkey to exchange cooperation in
agriculture research, soil and water management as well as enhance
Nepal´s farm technology.
Turkey proposed to support Nepal in agriculture research and farm
commercialization as well as measures to cope with impact of climate
change and strengthen food security in Nepal.
“We have accepted the proposed draft of the agreement from Turkey.
Besides, we have also asked Turkey´s support to standardize Nepali
exportable foods, food quality control, and commercialization in hybrid
maize in Nepal. We will fix the date for Memorandum of Understanding
(MoU) immediately after we finalize the scope of cooperation between the
two countries,” Pathak told Republica.
He also said a joint working committee comprising agriculture officials
of the both countries will be formed to implement the agreement.
In an effort to bring in coffee production technology and food security
policies from Brazil, the government is also preparing to sign a pact
with the world´s largest coffee producing country. In 2010 the South
American country produced 3.27 million tons of coffee.
“We are preparing a draft agreement in which we are going to seek
Brazil´s support for the commercialization of coffee and replicating
Zero Hunger Agriculture Policy applied there,” he added.
Besides, the fresh agreements with Turkey and Brazil, the government is
also renewing existing agriculture agreements with India, China and
Israel.
According to him, the Joint Agriculture Working Committee Meetings with
Chinese and Indian officials will be held in Kathamandu soon to renew
the existing pacts with the two close neighbor that are achieving
technical and commercial advancement in agriculture sector. The
bilateral agreement on agriculture cooperation with India in 1991 needs
to be renewed every ten years.
“We are preparing a proposed draft that includes Indian support in
development of human resource, exchange of agriculture related
information and joint research by Indian and Nepali scientists to
enhance our capacity,” he added.
In the pact to be inked at the agriculture secretary level meeting, both
sides will agree on strengthening cooperation in controlling
infectious farm diseases, upgrading Nepali lab standard for
international quality certification and effective quarantine procedures
in the customs while importing birds and animal products.
Similarly, Nepal and China are renewing existing bi-lateral agreement on
agriculture cooperation soon. The second meeting of Nepal-China
Agriculture Joint Committee held in Lhasa of Tibet in 2010 had decided
to hold the next meeting in 2011 in Kathmandu. However, the meeting was
delayed by one year due to ´technical reason´.
“We have formed a committee to renew the existing bi-lateral agreement,”
he said. He further stated that Nepal would ask for Chinese support in
conducting feasibility study for a proposed fertilizer plant in Nepal.
Besides, Nepal is also requesting China to sell chemical fertilizers to
ensure smooth supply during the crisis period. Nepal has been sourcing
fertilizers from India and overseas markets to fulfill the partial
demands for fertilizers in the domestic market.
“Chinese cooperation in technology transfer for dairy development,
animal feed production in Nepal will also be incorporated in the
proposed agreement,” he said. During the meeting Nepali officials are
scheduled to discuss simplification of quarantine procedure for Nepali
animal and poultry products consigned for China.
Likewise, Israeli and Nepali officials are also setting for dialogue to
strengthen cooperation on modernization of Nepal´s agriculture.
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