When Nepal could not afford it, FDI was introduced in agriculture: Minister Aryal

KATHMANDU: MARCH 22, 2021 – Minister for Agriculture and Livestock Development Padma Kumari Aryal has said that the government has made arrangements to attract foreign direct investment (FDI) in Nepal’s agriculture and livestock sector as Nepali investors are not able to afford it. The minister’s remarks came at a time when small and medium entrepreneurs in the region were protesting against the government’s decision to bring in FDI in agriculture and livestock.

However, she said that FDI should be introduced to protect small farmers. Speaking at a discussion program on ‘Contemporary Issues of Agricultural Development’ organized by the Agriculture Campaign for Food in Lalitpur on Monday, Minister Aryal said so.

She said that it was necessary to bring FDI only in the agricultural sector which she could not invest in. Although it is natural to be concerned about attracting foreign investment, she said it would not be good to stop development work with a lot of skepticism. “If our capacity is not enough, foreign investment should be made in the agricultural sector,” said Aryal.

Stating that the government will not attract foreign investment to the detriment of small farmers, she said that FDI has been arranged to protect small farmers. “FDI has been introduced in big countries as well and agriculture has developed,” she said, adding that “huge investment is needed in Nepal for the development of the agricultural sector.”

‘The government aims to develop the agricultural sector. According to her, huge investment is needed in agriculture, ‘she said,’ but that is not enough for our capacity. We have to go in the direction of developing the agricultural sector by attracting foreign investment, increasing production and also exporting in case our capacity is not enough, ”she said.

It will take time to build a fertilizer factory: Stating that the government has made arrangements for manure till this season in the program, she said that they are now working on immediate, medium and long term solution of manure. Stating that the government has moved ahead in the direction of building a fertilizer factory for the same, she said that it would take some time to build the factory, adding that details of the items required in the state have been demanded to solve the current problem.