PM Shah Directs Subordinates To Ensure Certification Of Organic Production Within Country

Kathmandu, July 23: Prime Minister Balendra Shah has directed the subordinate bodies to ensure certification of organic production within country.

"I direct the concerned bodies that they manage certification of organic agricultural production of Nepal within country," PM Shah said during a meeting he had with the officials of the Organic Association Nepal (OAN) at his Office in Singha Durbar today. OAN is the umbrella organization of entrepreneurs, promoting organic agricultural productions.

The entrepreneurs had been demanding the establishment of certification agency under the government for long, reasoning that international certification on organic production was highly costly. They also demanded the government to resume the grant provided as high as 75 percent for the certification of organic production earlier.

PM Shah was positive to this demand of the entrepreneurs, according to PM's secretariat.

PM Shah further informed the entrepreneurs that the government would take necessary steps to curb the unchecked chemical fertilizers and pesticides. The PM issued direction to the subordinate agencies to provide assistance to the private entities and cooperatives that produce compost as per entrepreneurs' demand.

The government is also positive to the demand of incentives to the production and purchase of compost equally to the scheme provided to chemical fertilizer. Similarly, it was informed that the related ministry was formulating a work procedure to legally wipe out the problems relating to grants on export of organic products.

The discussion was attended by OAN chair Dipak Baskota, general secretary Shanta Baskota Koirala, members and chair of the Gorkha T-Estate, Uday Chapagain, chair of the Himalayan Sangrila Tea Factory, Kamal Mainali, and chair of the Annapurna Organic Agro Industries, Parshuram Acharya.