Agriculture and Livestock Development Minister Ramnath Adhikari says that there are many types of complaints regarding agricultural subsidies. He claims that even though there are some problems in the subsidy distribution, it cannot be said that the actual farmers did not receive the subsidy amount. Raju Chaudhary's conversation with him on agricultural subsidy and other issues:

It is said that real farmers do not get agricultural subsidies, only those who have access get them . After you became a minister, is this disease the same or have you changed something?

There are many complaints about this matter. There will be some problems. But it cannot be said that the subsidy did not reach the actual farmers. A large part of the subsidy is flowing in the form of chemical fertilizer, crop and livestock insurance premium subsidy, sugarcane incentive subsidy, federal conditional subsidy going to the local and state level .

Some procedural complications can cause problems in the field of obtaining competitive grants . But our grant disbursement process is transparent. However, during operations, farmers in remote areas may lack access to information. After I became the minister, about 50 percent of farmers have been listed with classification. We are in the process of distributing identity cards. In the future, we are planning to link the subsidy program with the farmer's ID card.

Why agricultural subsidy is becoming a trend like tying up a cat and performing Shraddha? Why is it not visible?

Our food system is transforming . Lately there has been a variety in what we eat. The availability of fruits, seasonal and non-seasonal vegetables is increasing throughout the year. We see a variety of dishes on our plate . Some are local products and some are imported. However, we are not in a position to be completely satisfied with our actions . It is also a factor in the need to conduct the program through the resources allocated by us and the existing low technical manpower. The grants we provide are often planned for a short period of time . Focused on immediate problem solving. Since the subsidy provided on production material equipment is seasonal, there is a problem in its sustainability .

The amount allocated for agricultural subsidies is frozen in some projects, why is it not implemented effectively?

When analyzing the performance of foreign or domestic investment projects under the ministry, the agricultural subsidy programs under the project are of small amount . Not competitive grants, such programs have been successful . The budget is not frozen. In order to implement competitive grants of large amounts, the cost of small farmers should be shared and complicated procedures and paperwork should be completed. Therefore, if the subsidy program is not done on time, it will be frozen. But even if the procedure is made very simple, the risk of subsidy abuse remains high . We are trying for its effective implementation .

According to the statistics of agriculture, billions of rupees subsidies have been distributed in a decade. But the production has not increased accordingly. Agricultural goods worth billions of rupees are being imported. There is a provision in the law to punish those who embezzle the subsidy . But is the government a silent spectator? Is there a middleman's trick in it? We have to analyze the

grant by dividing it into two types . The first is indirect subsidies, which include the production of essential inputs for the operation of agriculture, such as chemical fertilizers, distribution of high-quality semen, etc. On the other hand, subsidies are being spent on insurance premiums for the protection of agricultural crops and animal husbandry, and subsidies for minimum support prices and incentive prices for various crops. This type of indirect grant is about 80 percent of the Ministry's total grant . There is no waste in this type of grant . Complaints have been received about embezzlement in direct grants . Since I came to the leadership, I have prioritized the issue of publicizing the details of farmers who have received subsidies. The issue of not increasing production and importing food worth billions of rupees is serious. Yes, we have not been able to get the return on our investment . But due to urban migration and transformation in food, diversity in food, seasonal and off-season vegetables, demand and supply of fruits, imports have also increased .