BAGLUNG: Agriculture experts who participated in a recently held agriculture conference at Sarbasiddhadham of Panchakot in Baglung district emphasized two kinds of revolutions in the agriculture sector – the “White” and “Green” revolutions.
By “white,” they referred to milk and dairy products, while “green” pertains to fruits and vegetables.
Interestingly, Baglung district is self-sufficient in dairy products.
In light of this, agriculture experts suggested capitalizing on these products to generate income for the dairy farmers.
It is noteworthy that Baglung annually produces over 15,599,200 million liters of milk.
This production not only meets the district’s requirements but also exceeds them for the population of 168,713 people.
According to the World Food Organization, a person needs 91 liters of milk annually.
Based on this, the district requires 15,352,883 liters. This means the district is producing a surplus of 1.46 liters of milk per person.
Therefore, the experts believe that by selling the surplus production, the district could generate better income from dairy products.
Dr. Tanka Prasad Prasai, Province Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Land Management in Gandaki Province, called for a “White” and “Green” revolution in the agriculture sector.
Secretary Prasai suggested that animal husbandry, a profitable enterprise, should be adopted extensively in the district for bulk production of dairy products under the “White” revolution.
He also emphasized prioritizing farming of fresh vegetables and fruits under the “Green” revolution.
Prasai informed that the provincial government was considering scientific measures to boost domestic agricultural production.
To protect the local species of cows, the provincial government is running a Gaushala Programme.
He mentioned that Manang, Mustang, and Kaski districts had low production of dairy products and urged special emphasis on increasing production in these districts.
He highlighted the need for expanding collective farming and increasing the scale of commercial farming.
The provincial government has prioritized the production of dairy products, establishment of orange gardens, vegetable farming, apple farming, goat and chicken rearing, and efforts to commercialize local species of crops to make farmers and the district self-sufficient.
Establishing model agriculture villages, implementing agriculture tourism-focused programs, animal insurance programs, and setting up processing industries and cold stores, as well as animal insurance, were top priorities of the provincial government, the Province Secretary asserted.
Similarly, Nepali Congress Gandaki Province President Sukraraj Sharma suggested that farmers should not leave arable land barren. He urged them to utilize the barren land for agricultural gain.
Likewise, religious leader Muktinath Baba Kamalnayanacharya stressed identifying the soil and considering farming accordingly to become self-sufficient in agricultural products.
The conference saw the participation of agriculture experts from the Agriculture Knowledge Centers and Veterinary Service Centers in Baglung, Parbat, and Myagdi districts, along with local farmers.
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