The government has allocated Nu 1 b in the current financial year to provide chain-link fencing to all the gewogs. However, the project is now expected to cost an additional Nu 600 M. The agriculture and livestock minister said this during the question hour session at the National Assembly, yesterday. He was responding to the Bardo-Trong MP’s question about the status of the implementation of chain-link fencing in the country. Questions were also raised about the increasing power tiller hiring charges during the session.
Bardo-Trong MP Gyambo Tshering asked the agriculture and livestock minister about how the government’s chain-link fencing project has helped resolve human-wildlife conflict in the rural areas.
The minister said the project has been successfully implemented in 19 districts apart from Haa.
“When the budget for the Financial Year 2023-2024 was discussed, Nu 1 b was allocated to provide chain-link fencing in all the gewogs. When we asked for cost estimates from the districts, it exceeded our budget by Nu 600 M,” said Lyonpo Yeshey Penjor.
“The new cost estimate is Nu 1.6 b. Since we are short of budget, the agriculture ministry is reprioritising to see how best we can allocate the required budget.”
Meanwhile, the Dewathang-Gomdar MP said the sudden increase in power tiller hiring charges has led to some farmers leaving their land fallow.
“The cultivable land in the country is only 7.8 per cent. Of which only 2.9 per cent is being cultivated right now. All governments talk about food self-sufficiency and security. We have less land, so the government should make policies, which encourage farmers to cultivate,” said MP Ugyen Dorji.
“The power tiller hiring charges used to be Nu 1500 per day. This year it has increased to Nu 2700 per day. Because of that, my constituents told me that they have left their fields fallow.”
The agriculture and livestock minister said that he acknowledges the concerns of increasing fallow land in the country.
“In the financial year 2022-2023, the government could not provide a subsidy on power tiller hiring charges since the government was short on budget. So, the numbers the MP mentioned may be from this period. For the financial year 2023-2024, we have decided in the summer session of the Parliament and allocated Nu 250 M for agricultural machinery services.”
The minister said that the Nu 250 M allocated is not only for power tiller hiring purposes but it is also for hiring combined harvester machines, which are expensive.
According to data from the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, almost 3,000 agricultural machinery have been distributed since 2008.
Deki Lhazom
Edited by Sherub Dorji
