The government is hoping to create nearly 150,000 new employment opportunities in the agriculture sector for supplementing the country's labour sector devastated in light of the Covid-19 pandemic.

According to Ghanshyam Bhusal, minister for agriculture and livestock development, the agriculture sector can generate about 150,000 jobs in the country with the required support from the government.

“With promoting farming in barren lands, riverbed farming, plotting farming and adequate budget we can create the estimated number of jobs in the agriculture sector,” said Bhushal in a discussion organised by the Labour Employment Journalists Group on Tuesday. “We have prioritised allocating more budgets and programmes for the local levels. Our goal is to facilitate farmers so that they can produce and sell their harvests and produce in the market.”

As a large number of jobs—in the domestic market as well as in the labour destination countries—has been cut off or likely to shrink even further in future, owing to the Covid-19, the government has been counting on the agriculture sector to provide jobs to unemployed groups.

From experts to government ministers, and even the recently presented policies and programmes, have emphasised that the agriculture sector can be one area for absorbing labour force which has gone jobless due to Covid-19 circumstances.

“Since our economy is hit hard due to the pandemic and its effects, all the eyes are on agriculture. But how much the agriculture sector can sustain should also be discussed,” said Bhusal.

According to the minister, farmers have for long been battling with several challenges which makes the agriculture sector less attractive. Only if the government can provide subsidies, which has been in debate for seven decades, and technical knowledge, a lot can change for farmers of all levels, said Bhusal.

“There are 6,000 vacant posts of agriculture technicians. We need to provide subsidies to all kinds of farmers ” said Bhusal. “The agriculture loan should be given at 3 percent interest rate for small farmers and a waiver of five percent to big farmers from the existing rates.”

According to Bhusal, subsidies for farmers on fertilisers, seed, agricultural equipment, irrigation and electricity; technical support, lower interest loans, effective insurance for crops, and fixing a minimum support price should be done to promote commercial farming in the country.

“We have also been discussing that if the farmers can not sell their harvest, the government should buy farmers’ produce. This sounds ambitious but can be done,” said Bhusal. “The agriculture sector needs to be protected, and all the government agencies should come together, then only it can happen.”

However, the minister said there was no dedicated programme to provide jobs to returnee migrant workers, who are expected to return in the near future.

There have been concerns that while the government is planning to employ job-seekers into the agriculture sector, migrant workers, who have worked in the service and manufacturing sector in labour destination countries, may not be interested in farming jobs.

“Agriculture work is itself a difficult job. Less number of workers will be interested in directly working in the field. Others might be interested in managerial works,” said Bhusal. “If they want to work, they will be provided with a job and payment.”