Meanwhile, UNHCR alongside partners is working to address the urgent needs of those arriving – food, water, shelter, protection. However its programmes are also under severe strain due to limited funding.
Formalized under the ICA-EU Financial Framework Partnership Agreement Phase 2, the MoU reflects a shared commitment to elevating smallholder farmers—especially women and youth—as stewards of agricultural transformation.
President Paudel expressed concern over Nepal’s increasing reliance on imported rice and paddy. He underscored the importance of adopting climate-smart technologies and making use of domestic human resources to foster self-reliance in agriculture.
The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved a proposal from the Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare to establish International Potato Centre (CIP)’s South Asia Regional Centre (CSARC) at Agra, Uttar Pradesh.
Through the KCC framework, farmers benefit from revolving credit facilities for up to five years. This flexible structure allows them to draw and repay funds as per their seasonal requirements without having to reapply for loans each season.
Beyond trade, both nations expressed keen interest in enhancing vocational training collaboration, with a specific focus on developing industry-aligned skills for Sri Lankan youth.
For Asia’s rice bowl, the coming months will be critical. Farmers, traders, and policymakers must prepare for a potentially volatile period that could test food security across the region.
Analysts suggest a balanced outcome might involve India strengthening its own forced labour import monitoring mechanisms while securing phased tariff reductions and dispute resolution clauses that provide greater predictability for Indian exporters.
As the June 12 deadline approaches, the ministry will likely receive a wide array of ideas. The challenge will be synthesizing them into a coherent, actionable medium- to long-term strategy that delivers the 20 per cent target without compromising growth or equity.
For Asia’s rice bowl, the coming months will be critical. Farmers, traders, and policymakers must prepare for a potentially volatile period that could test food security across the region.
Analysts suggest a balanced outcome might involve India strengthening its own forced labour import monitoring mechanisms while securing phased tariff reductions and dispute resolution clauses that provide greater predictability for Indian exporters.
In the long run, the minister said, the push for transparency is aimed at closing the revenue–development gap: ensuring that domestic resources mobilised from taxes contribute directly to societal growth and welfare, fulfilling the deeper principle underlying economic governance.