Agriculture contributes 38 pct to GDP of Nepal: Minister

Nepal's agriculture sector contributes 38 percent to its Gross Domestic Product (GDP), senior government official said Tuesday.

"More than two-thirds of the country's population are employed in agriculture sector," Mahantha Thakur, minister for agriculture and cooperatives, said at the function organized to mark the 15th anniversary of the Nepal Agricultural Research Council (NARC).

NARC, a government institute, is playing a significant role in the uplift of the economic status and poverty alleviation of farmers.

Speaking on the occasion, Food and Agricultural Organization ( FAO) Representative to Nepal Kajuyuki Tsurumi said that FAO would continue to provide assistance to NARC in Nepal's agricultural research and economic development sector.

"The initiatives are underway to develop technology, which would render assistance in food security and consolidate the task of research based service," Ram Pratap Saha, executive director of the NARC, said.

Source: Xinhua