Butwal: The Directorate of Agriculture Development of Lumbini Province has expressed collaboration with different sector to promote the use of organic fertilizer and bio pesticides.
Speaking in an interaction program with local journalists and representatives from National Biotech, Ram Prasad Pandey, chief of the directorate said, “The use of organic fertilizers and biopesticides play a significant role in sustainable agriculture and for improving soil health.”
He also highlighted the role of media and civil society groups to make the farmers aware about the benefits of using organic inputs.
“The latest economic survey shows that the contribution of agriculture sector to the province’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) stands at 29.8 percent,” he said. “The health of soil, however, has been a growing concern among stakeholders.”
Organic matter plays a significant role maintaining the soil health for better crop production, he said. “The recent soil test of Rupandehi district showed that the organic matter in the soil in some parts of the district are extremely low. The soil test results have triggered the issue of soil health and the government will take the policies to encourage the farmers to adopt organic methods to maintain the quality of the soil.”
He further said that multistakeholder collaboration and cooperation will be very helpful to raise awareness about organic inputs among farmers.
It is the primary duty of the government to make fertilizers more accessible and affordable to the farmers, he said. “However, unmet demand of fertilizers is a reality in the various parts of the country.”
He further highlighted the need of cooperation and collaboration between the government and the private sector organization to maintain supply chain of the organic products.
He also urged the media sector and other stakeholders to play a positive role in expediting the dissemination of the message on the benefits of using organic fertilizers to a larger number of farmers in the province.
The government agencies always welcome the efforts of development of an innovative and integrated approach for sustainable soil fertility management, he said, adding that the government is ready to collaborate with private sector organizations that are involved in promoting bio-fertilizers.
The interaction was organized by National Biotech, an organic fertilizer manufacturer that aims to promote sustainable agricultural practices. The organization has been working with farmers of Lumbini Province to promote the use of organic fertilizers as the best alternative to help the government fulfill the unmet demand of fertilizers.
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