Under the aegis of the Global Forum For Sustainable Rural Development and Global Centre for Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security (GFSRD-GCSAFS), FNCCI Koshi Province organized an Agro, Livestock & Industrial Exhibition titled ‘Agro Expo’ from September 12-15, 2024 in Katahari-1, Biratnagar (Nepal). GFSRD provided technical support.
Former Nepalese Prime Minister, Chief Minister (CM) of Koshi Province (State), Former CM of Koshi Province (State), Finance Minister, former agriculture minister and other international dignitaries from the Food and Agriculture Organization, various universities and Nepal Agriculture Ministry visited the organic urea stall jointly with Kamal Municipality on September 14.
The dignitaries were highly impressed with the organic urea stall. They praised members of GFSRD-GCSAFS specially, GFSRD founder director Dr. Jayanta Choudhury, senior scientist and National Expert (NRP-SA), DAY-NRLM, Ministry of RD, Government of India and GFSRD-GCSAFS, Dr. Kanchan Kumar Bhowmik, Krishnendu Sinha, former Chief Agri Business Promotional Support and Training Centre, Ministry of Nepal, Jhumka, (Nepal) Dr Rajendra Uperty and Country Head, Nepal, B. Koirala, Agriculture Officer (on contract), Kamal Municipality, Nepal, Mahendra Bohora, Technical Asst-Agriculture, Kamal Municipality, NePrem Pokhrel, Technical Asst-Agriculture, Kamal Rural Municipality, Nepal, Rama Regmi, Prem Pokhel, Technical Asst-Agriculture, Kamal Rural Municipality, Nepal and Krishnendu Sinha, Agronomist & Associate Researcher, GFSRD-GCSAFS.
The importance of the organic urea stalls is that GFSRD-GCSAFS has initiated steps for an alternate way of agro ecological practices. The aim is to have poison free foods and to curtail down subsidy in chemical fertilizers under Nepal ministry.
GFSRD-GCSAFS aims to bring sustainability to agriculture-based livelihoods and to improve the quality of life with special focus on SF/MF and women farmers, to reduce cost of cultivation by avoiding chemical pesticides and fertilizers without compromising on yields, provide households nutritional security and give livelihoods to the landless poor through land lease and NPM shops.
As part of the commitments for NMC/ Nepal Agriculture Ministry/Municipalities, the moves in initiated include introduction of Agro Ecological Practices through Farming Community Managed Sustainable Agriculture (FCMSA) for poison free foods, poison free health as well as poison free earth like poison free water, soil and environment, produce and supply alternate availability of organic urea with a very low budget and curtail down government subsidy and farmers price, produce and supply alternate availability of organic N, P, K with a very low budget, produce and supply alternate availability of organic pesticides and fungicides with a very low budget, establish agro ecological practices with the concept-protocol of organic village, Parampara Krishi Vikash Yojana, Rishi Krishi, Zero Budget Natural Farming & Permaculture.
The journey started in Nepal since 2018-19 in Krishi Bybsay Prabardhan Sahajog Tatha Talim Kendra, Jhumka, Sunsari, Nepal under the leadership of Dr Rajendra Uprety. The journey continued in Kamal Municipality, Kanyam Tea Estate, Kanyam Cooperatives, Madhesh Predesh and Jhapa Tea Area (Old) & Jhapa Municipality.
It is to be noted that each year Nepal imports nearly 270,000 tonnes of chemical urea beside other chemical fertilisers (DAP & MOP), which are not required now and also there is no subsidy. In fact,now, Nepal is self-sufficient to produce its own Organic Urea / Bio Urea within its own availability of organic wastes.