National Planning Commission Vice Chairman Gunakar Bhatta has said that the government is moving ahead at a pace to achieve the target of 7 percent economic growth. Speaking at the 25th anniversary program of the Small Farmers Development Microfinance Institution, Vice Chairman Bhatta said that the government is working to achieve the 7 percent economic growth plan put forward by revitalizing the sluggish economic situation.

He said that the current government is positive about promoting the economic empowerment program by taking the private sector and the cooperative sector together. Vice Chairman Bhatta responded that the Small Farmers Development Microfinance Institution is a leading institution in Nepal in terms of poverty alleviation and increasing economic activities in rural areas.

He said that it is now necessary to develop the Small Farmers Development Microfinance Institution as a specialized institution in view of the work of small farmers and its impact. He argued that small farmers are an institution that works among the real farmers and that too for successful and positive transformation, and if it can be developed as a specialized institution, its impact can be further increased.

Stating that the role of small farmers will be important in improving the overall economic situation of the country, he informed that the government will take forward special programs in this regard. Stating that the current government is clear on the issue of poverty alleviation, including economic and social transformation in the country, only through the upliftment of small farmers, he requested the small farmers to work with confidence. He said that the government will take forward special programs for institutional sustainability through strengthening government, private and cooperative organizations.

He said that the Small Farmers Campaign and its affiliated organizations and members will work with commitment in implementing the economic and social transformation programs put forward by the government in the coming days as well.

Thanking the government for the support and cooperation given to the Small Farmers Program, Chairman Khem Bahadur Pathak requested to support the program to connect farmers' products with the market in the coming days. Stating that farmers cannot achieve economic prosperity by producing only, he demanded that the government should think specifically about the farmers' own market. He complained that even though they demanded a market for the sale and distribution of farmers' produce, the farmers have not been able to sell and distribute their produce themselves as the government has not taken a final decision on this.  

Similarly, in the program, Vasu Adhikari, Chief Executive Officer of the Small Farmers Development Microfinance Institution, informed about the economic and business progress of the institution. He said that in order to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, they have been working to connect women, youth, Dalits, tribals, Rautes, forest workers, and backward communities to the mainstream through agricultural production.

Stating that the challenges of the impact of the global economy have also affected Nepal's economy and microfinance institutions, he said that the promotion of small and micro enterprises will be important to overcome this.

He also expressed his commitment to continue to effectively advance the role played by the Small Farmers Development Microfinance Institution in the overall economic and social transformation by continuously making the rural economy dynamic.