Kathmandu, April 18 : Minister for Agriculture and Livestock Development, Ghanashyam Bhusal and the ministers for agriculture, land and cooperatives of all seven State governments have decided to coordinate with all the related agencies for addressing the problems created in the agriculture and livestock sector due to the lockdown.    
Minister Bhusal and the ministers of all the seven States made this decision during video conference on Friday. The video meeting between the federal government minister and the State government ministers decided to have more intensive coordination between the federal ministry and the rapid action group at the State agriculture ministries.    
It is stated the meeting also decided that the Federal Agriculture Ministry will establish coordination with the Ministry of Home Affairs for further easing the production, transportation and sale and distribution of agricultural and livestock-related goods and products. Likewise, the State Agriculture Ministries will have to provide the assessment of the damage to the agriculture and livestock sector in the States and the proposal for relief to the Federal Agriculture Ministry by Saturday.    
It was also agreed in the meeting that the Federal Agriculture Ministry will bear a certain percentage of the relief package proposed by the States and the State governments will provide relief assistance to the farmers by adding to the relief package as per their need. Similarly, the State Agriculture Ministry will submit the outline of the plan regarding the programmes that needed to be included in the budget for the next year and the budgetary allocations to be made by the Federal and the State governments to that connection.    
The meeting decided that the State Agriculture Ministry will take initiatives for allocation of at least 20 per cent of the State budget for the upcoming fiscal year to the agriculture sector.