Nepal – On 23 January 217, the government of Nepal formed the National Farmers Commission (NFC), which was made possible by the extensive lobbying and policy intervention of Nepalese Farmers organizations through the support of MTCP2 Program. The commission, which was the major demand of the National Peasants’ Coalition (NPC) for a long time, was formed as per National Farmers Commission and Operation Order – 2073 BS.
NPC is MTCP2 Nepal Farmer Organizations’ national platform. It includes 14 national level farmers organizations (FOs) representing over millions of small-scale farming families and marginal farmers from all over the country.
In the process of forming the Agriculture Development Strategy, the working group agreed to form an executive farmer commission with the acceptance of NPC. Furthermore, MTCP2 Nepal successfully pressured the government and held a bilateral meeting with agriculture Ministers and Prime Minister to form the farmers’ commission. After a round of lobbying and policy intervention, the government agreed to form the commission. Previously, the government planned to form a commission excluding farmers and including bureaucrats and so-called experts only, but after MTCP2 Nepal’s lobbying, the farmers’ commission was finally formed with the strong representation of farmers from the NPC.
Chitra Bahadur Shrestha was appointed as the Chairperson of the Farmers’ Commission. Shrestha is the Coordinator of NPC and Chairperson of All Nepal Peasants Federation Revolutionary Center. There are other two representatives from MTCP2 Nepal FOs National Platform appointed as members of the commission.
The Farmers’ Commission executes programs on management of the market for agro-products, operation of agro-products processing plants, the establishment of research centers for boosting agricultural production and agriculture education.
The primary function of NFC is to study and analyze every aspect of Nepal’s agriculture sector and give suggestions to the government on required agriculture policies, laws, and programs. NFC is also responsible to boost commercial farming in the country and recommend the government on necessary measures to achieve agricultural targets and goals.
The NFC is also mandated to crosscheck whether or not the current agricultural subsidies being doled out are reaching actual farmers and submit a report on it to the Ministry of Agriculture Development. NFC also has to work on ways to increase access of farmers to the market, increase their technological awareness, and protect their rights and interests. #
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