The Government of Nepal plans to buy 15,000 metric tonnes of paddy at the minimum support price during the current fiscal year, with Rs 675 million allocated for the procurement. The Ministry of Agriculture, Forests and Environment said it is coordinating with the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies to carry out the purchase. The announcement was shared by the private secretariat of Agriculture, Forests and Environment Minister Geeta Chaudhary.
Procurement plan and budget
The planned volume is 15,000 metric tonnes, and the purchase is to be made at the government-set minimum support price. The allocated budget reported for the procurement is Rs 675 million, or Rs 67.5 crore. The announcement identifies both the intended quantity and the overall funding for the current fiscal year, but does not specify how the paddy will be divided among locations or suppliers.
The minimum support price is the basis on which the government says it will purchase the paddy. No per-unit price was included in the information shared by the minister’s private secretariat. The total allocation therefore describes the funding set aside for the planned purchase, rather than providing a separate price for each farmer or delivery.
The announcement also does not detail the schedule for buying the paddy, the locations where procurement will take place, or the arrangements for receiving and storing the crop. Those operational details were not included in the information provided about the plan. The central commitment announced so far is to purchase the stated quantity at the minimum support price within the current fiscal year.
Coordination between ministries
The Ministry of Agriculture, Forests and Environment said it is coordinating with the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies on the procurement. The two ministries’ coordination is identified as part of the government’s plan, although no further division of responsibilities was set out in the announcement.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Forests and Environment is the ministry that shared the procurement plan, while the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies is its counterpart in the coordination process. The information was communicated through the private secretariat of Minister Geeta Chaudhary. No additional statement from the commerce ministry or further comment from the minister was included in the information released.
What the announcement confirms
The government’s announcement confirms three main elements: a purchase target of 15,000 metric tonnes, procurement at the minimum support price and an allocation of Rs 675 million for the current fiscal year. It also confirms that the agriculture ministry is coordinating with the industry, commerce and supplies ministry. The announcement does not give further details on implementation, including the procurement timetable or the specific mechanism through which the purchase will be conducted.
The planned purchase is limited to the stated volume and fiscal-year period. No information was provided on whether the government expects to buy additional paddy beyond the 15,000-tonne target, or whether the plan will be revised. The statement also did not provide details about the price level, eligibility criteria for sellers, or the process for announcing where and when paddy can be delivered.
For now, the reported plan establishes the government’s intended scale of procurement and the budget assigned to it, while leaving the operational arrangements unspecified. Further information from the coordinating ministries would be needed to clarify how the 15,000 metric tonnes will be purchased and how farmers or other suppliers can participate.
