Congress leader Shekhar Koirala says this government’s thinking is completely wrong

Kathmandu – Dr. Shekhar Koirala, a leader of the Nepali Congress, criticized the government’s approach toward farmers, stating that their mindset is fundamentally flawed.

Speaking at a program commemorating the birth anniversary of the late Girija Prasad Koirala in Kathmandu on Saturday, Dr. Koirala emphasized the need to train farmers in modern agricultural practices, as traditional farming alone is no longer sufficient.

He expressed his dissatisfaction with the government’s decision to cut subsidies provided to sugarcane farmers. Dr. Koirala, who himself cultivates sugarcane on 20 bighas of land, highlighted this issue.

Criticizing the government’s reasoning that there isn’t enough money, he argued that reducing the subsidy for sugarcane farmers is unjust. He suggested that if ministers would refrain from going on foreign trips four times, about 1.5 billion rupees could be saved immediately.

Dr. Koirala remarked, “Simply sticking to traditional farming won’t work. You may think I’m speaking too much, but let me tell you, I still cultivate sugarcane on 20 bighas. The government’s thinking is terribly misguided. Even the party president is unaware. For 25 years, there were subsidies given to sugarcane farmers to help them buy sugar. This time, there’s no subsidy because the government claims it’s out of funds.”