Widening agriculture trade deficit (Kathmandu Post) 

Kathmandu Post published an article stating that inadequate and ineffective service delivery is a significant impediment to agricultural development. Increasing food imports can be attributed to low agricultural productivity, which occurs when domestic production does not keep pace with population growth. Adoption of improved technologies and production practices are critical drivers of agriculture production acceleration. According to IFPRI-South Asia in Adoption and diffusion of improved technologies and production practices in agriculture: Insights from a donor-led intervention in Nepal (Discussion paper #01781), only 33 percent of households in Nepal use improved crop varieties, less than 10 percent use modern farm equipment, and fertilizer use is far below the South Asian average.