Status and Future Prospects of Pulses in Nepal

Introduction 

Agriculture is the main source of income and livelihood of 66% of rural population in Nepal (MOAC  2009),  with  about  80%  of  population  depend  on subsistence  farming,  and have major  concerns  on  household  food  security  and  poor  nutrition  (FAO  2009).  FAO food deprivation data 2005-07 for Nepal showed that 4.5 million people live under the condition of undernourishment (FAO STAT 2011). Cereal crops are the staple food and contribute major share  in  area  and  production.  Growing  cereal  crops  year  after  year  or  intensive cereal production  (short  duration  paddy,  spring  maize)  systems  have  led  to  the degradation  soil  fertility,  soil  health,  pest  disease  dynamics  and  soil  erosion.  Pulses (grain  legumes)  are  important in terms of nutrition and subsistence farming.  It plays role in enhancing the soil  fertility  by  symbiotic  nitrogen  fixation.  Pulses  supply  the  major  part of  the  dietary  protein  (20-25% protein by weight, which is 2-3 times that  of wheat and rice) for majority of poor  who cannot afford expensive animal protein and vegetarians. Crop residues and by-products are valuable as fodder, feed and  firewood.  In 2009,pulses (excluding soybean)  export and import were of US$ 75,459,000 and US$ 29,184,000, respectively (FAO 2011). 

Web Portal Links related to Nepalese Agriculture

Ministry of Agricultural Development (MOAD) 

Singha Durbar, Kathmandu

Phone:4211706,4211950,4211981

Fax: 977-1- 4211935,

E-mail: memoad@moad.gov.np

http://www.moad.gov.np/

Agriculture Information and Communication Centre (AICC)
Hariharbhawan, Lalitpur, Nepal

Phone : 01-5522 248, 5525617

Fax: 01-5522 258

Email: agroinfo@wlink.com.np
http://www.aicc.gov.np

Seed Quality Control Center
Harihar Bhawan, Lalitpur

Phone: (in Nepal) 01-5534258 | 01-5521359

(From abroad) 00977-01-5534258 | 00977-01-5521359

Fax:     (in Nepal) 01-5526276

(from abroad) 00977-01-5526276

E-mail: info@sqcc.gov.np

http://sqcc.gov.np/

AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY (ADS)

Background

Since 1995, the long-term (20 year) strategy for the agricultural sector has been the Agriculture Perspective Plan (APP), a strategic document that was formulated in the mid-1990s with the support of Government of Nepal and development partners.

It has been increasingly perceived by different stakeholders in the Government of Nepal and society at large that the initial formulation of the APP required revision in view of several factors including

Climate Smart Agriculture: Point to be noted

Agriculture not only vulnerable to the the impacts of climate change, but also the major contributor and responsible for 14 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. But agriculture has the potential to be an important part of the solution, through mitigation (reducing and/or removing) a significant amount of global emissions. Some 70 percent of this mitigation potential could be realized in developing countries. FAO states that to achieve food security and agricultural development goals, adaptation to climate change and lower emission intensities per output will be necessary.

In this blog we are pointing some of the major topics that has to be consider to minimize the GHGs and climate change effects. 

New released Hybrid Maize yields up to 11.10 ton/ha

Recently Nepal Agricultural Research Council (NARC) has developed and released a new hybrid maize variety "Rampur Hybrid-2", which was developed by crossing of RML-4 (CA00326) and NML-2 (CML-430). This Rampur Hybrid-2 can be cultivated and is suited for the Terai and Inner Terai (Madesh) region of Nepal. It can produced as high as 7 t/ha of grains when planted in September-Octover with adquate supply of plant nutrients (120:60:40 kg N,P2O5,K2O) along with 10-15 t/ha of compost and good management with plant population of 66,666 plants (NMRP, 2012).