Myagdi, Nov. 8: Free agriculture insurance programme has been launched in 11 districts including Myagdi of Gandaki Province. The federal government has been providing 75 percent grant in the premium money of agriculture insurance while the Ministry of Land Management, Agriculture and Cooperatives of the Province would bear remaining 25 percent.

“The provincial government has launched free agriculture from this year. It will help attract farmers towards agriculture insurance and save them from agricultural losses,” said Narayan Kusum, Chief of the Veterinary Hospital and Livestock Expert Centre, Myagdi. For availing the grants, the agriculture and livestock expert centre asked farmers who paid insurance money from July 16 to apply along with the receipts and other necessary documents.

The deadline to apply for the grants is 29 June 2021. The service is based on first-come-first-serve. For providing the grants to the beneficiaries, Beni-based Veterinary Hospital and Livestock Expert Centre has received Rs 4.5 million and the Agriculture Knowledge Centre Rs 400,000. The expert centre and knowledge centre cover Myagdi and Mustang districts in this regard.

Likewise, the government has brought a programme to provide grants to farmers cultivating barren lands. Grants worth Rs 3,000 is provided per ropani for cultivating the lands that is barren for at least three years, said Gobinda Pandey of the knowledge centre. “Rs 2.4 million is released for this programme. We have also issued a notice for farmers to apply for it,” he said.

Moreover, farmers who grow vegetables two seasons a year in plastic houses covering at least two ropanis of lands or 200 square meters area will get grants worth Rs 3,000 per ropani, he said, adding that in this regard, Rs 1.5 million was released. Also, Rs 5.1 million was released for farmers who sell milk through cooperatives as per procedure and guidelines.