AvailableNepali translation awaiting review

Agriculture and land

Six in ten Nepali households farm, but the area they farm shrank by about one-eighth in ten years, most holdings are under half a hectare, and over a million landless and informal-settler records await a decision. The open questions are how to spend farm support, how to bring idle and fragmented land back into use, and how to settle land claims fairly.

Long-term goalMore productive, resilient farming and secure access to food

Article 36 gives every citizen the right relating to food and to food sovereignty, and Article 51(e) asks the state to raise agricultural production and productivity and to ensure fair prices for inputs and products. The 16th Plan sets targets to FY 2085/86, including raising paddy yields from 3.79 to 4.84 tonnes per hectare, raising the share of arable land with year-round irrigation from 25 to 50 per cent, and cutting households in severe food insecurity from 1.3 to 1.0 per cent. These are multi-year goals that need all three levels of government.7828

Contested choiceHow land should be held and used: ceilings and exemptions, idle land, and consolidation

The Constitution allows land reform and regulation to raise productivity (Article 25(4)) and asks the state to end dual ownership, discourage absentee ownership and pool land (Article 51(e)). The Land Act caps how much land a family may hold but lists exemptions, and section 12A, added in 2076 and widened in 2081, lets industries and firms that bought land above the ceiling without approval apply once to keep it on paying a fee. The Land Use Act makes leaving land zoned for farming fallow for three years in a row an offence unless a reasonable cause is notified, and the land ministry has circulated a land bank procedure to all local governments so that idle private land can be leased through them with the owner's agreement. How far to rely on penalties, incentives, leasing or ceilings is a policy choice.78101523

Contested choiceHow to spend farm support: input subsidies, price support or insurance and output-based grants

In FY 2081/82 the agriculture ministry spent Rs 32.14 billion on 12 subsidy programmes, 83.51 per cent of it on chemical fertiliser, and the Auditor General found duplication and poor access for marginal farmers. The 16th Plan calls for production-based subsidies, and the FY 2083/84 budget sets the direction of gradually phasing out other subsidies by offering up to 80 per cent premium subsidy on agricultural insurance, and allocates Rs 32.46 billion for fertiliser. How to divide support between inputs, prices, insurance and investment is a real choice.25181921

Urgent problemShrinking, fragmented farmland and unresolved claims of landless people and informal settlers

Between the 2011/12 and 2021/22 agriculture censuses, the number of farm holdings rose 7.8 per cent while the area they operated fell 12.2 per cent, to 2.22 million hectares, and the average parcel shrank from 0.21 to 0.19 hectares. By mid-July 2025 the Land Problems Resolution Commission reported 1,128,551 records of landless Dalits, landless squatters and informal settlers in its information system and 6,944 land ownership certificates distributed. The Council of Ministers decided on 2082/06/23 to dissolve the Commission; according to news reports the Supreme Court annulled that decision and a full bench later decided to review that ruling, and Parliament's registers list the 2083 ordinance that replaced the Commission with committees as inactive. Who now handles these claims, and under what law, is not settled in the sources reviewed.126333536121314

Updated 2026-10-11 · Version 2 · Sources · Corrections & right of reply

Question 1

What is the issue, and why does it matter?

Farming is still the main livelihood for most households. The 2021/22 agriculture census counted 4.13 million farm holdings; farm households were 62 per cent of all households, down from 71 per cent in 2011/12, and the farm population was 66.7 per cent of the country's population. Agriculture's share of GDP is estimated at 24.0 per cent in FY 2025/26, against an average of 25.0 per cent over the past decade.12

Farms are small and getting smaller. Of the 4.13 million holdings in 2021/22, 425,218 operated under 0.1 hectare, 648,450 between 0.1 and 0.2 hectares and 1,430,114 between 0.2 and 0.5 hectares, so more than 2.5 million holdings were under half a hectare (our sum of the census table). The total area operated fell from 2.52 million hectares in 2011/12 to 2.22 million hectares, and land under temporary crops fell by 392,316 hectares (18.5 per cent).13

Yields are low by regional standards and Nepal imports staple grains. The Economic Survey reports 2024 paddy yields of 4.19 tonnes per hectare in Nepal against 5.30 in Bangladesh and 7.15 in China, and maize yields of 3.49 tonnes per hectare, the lowest in the region it compares. The 16th Plan says the share of agricultural produce, animals and food in total imports was 15 per cent, against the 15th Plan target of 5 per cent. In FY 2081/82 customs records show imports of about 531 thousand tonnes of paddy under the 'other paddy' heading (Rs 20.36 billion; rice headings are listed separately) and 380 thousand tonnes of maize (Rs 18.31 billion).456

Land and farming are tied together. Who owns land, how large and scattered the plots are, whether they are irrigated and whether they are farmed at all shape what farmers can earn and how much food the country grows. For landless families and long-term informal settlers, a land title can also decide where they can live and whether they can borrow.

Question 2

What do current law and policy say?

Constitution, fundamental rights: every citizen has the right relating to food, to be safe from danger to life from scarcity of food, and to food sovereignty in accordance with law (Article 36). Every farmer has the right, in accordance with law, to access land for farming and to select and protect local seeds and species (Article 42(4)). The state is to provide land once to landless Dalits in accordance with law (Article 40(5)). The state may not take a person's property except for public interest, but this does not prevent land reform, management and regulation by law to raise productivity, modernise and commercialise agriculture, protect the environment or plan housing and urban development (Article 25(2) and (4)).7

State policies on agriculture and land (Article 51(e)): introduce scientific land reform in the interest of farmers while ending dual ownership of land; raise production by land pooling while discouraging absentee land ownership; manage land and commercialise, industrialise, diversify and modernise agriculture through land-use policies while protecting farmers' rights; regulate land use by productivity, nature of land and ecological balance; and ensure fair prices for agricultural inputs and products and access to markets. Article 51(h)(12) adds sustainable food production, storage and distribution in line with food sovereignty.8

Who holds which power: land use policies are federal (Schedule 5). Management of land and land records, and agriculture and livestock development, are provincial (Schedule 6). Land policies and laws, and drugs and pesticides, are shared by the federation and provinces (Schedule 7). Local irrigation and agro-roads, distribution of house and land ownership certificates, agriculture and animal husbandry, agro-product management and agricultural extension are local (Schedule 8). Agriculture, irrigation services and squatter management are shared by all three levels (Schedule 9).9

Land Act, 2021 (1964; amended many times, most recently by the 8th amendment of 2076 and an investment-facilitation Act of 2081): a person or family may hold at most 10 bigaha in the Terai and inner Madhesh, 25 ropani in Kathmandu Valley and 70 ropani in other hill areas, plus up to 1 bigaha, 5 ropani and 5 ropani respectively for a homestead; tenanted land counts half to the landowner and half to the tenant (section 7). Land held by government, public bodies, notified industries, agro-industries, cooperative farms and some others is exempt (section 12). Section 12A (added by the 8th amendment of 2076) let an industry, firm, company or institution operating when it came into force, which had bought and was using land above the ceiling without government approval, apply once within three months for approval to keep it, on paying Rs 150,000 per bigaha in the Terai and inner Madhesh, Rs 50,000 per ropani in Kathmandu Valley and Rs 10,000 per ropani in other hill areas; the 2081 investment-facilitation Act gave those that had not applied a further six months (section 12A(1A)). Tenanted land is to be split half-and-half between landowner and tenant, by area or value, if they cannot agree (section 26D).10

Land Act, landless people and informal settlers: the government is to provide land once to landless Dalits (section 52A) and to landless squatters, where they have been cultivating or on other suitable government land, up to a prescribed area; such land cannot be transferred for ten years except by inheritance or partition, and some land, such as riverbanks, forests, protected areas and road reserves, cannot be given (section 52B). Informal settlers who, when the section came into force, had been cultivating government, ailani or recorded-forest land for at least ten years may be given ownership of up to a prescribed area on payment of a fee (section 52C). Ordinance No. 7 of 2083 (published in the Gazette on 2083/01/20) removed the provision for a commission, allowed the government to form committees or task forces at central and district level for this work, required landless Dalits and squatters living on riverbanks, in forests, protected areas, road reserves or other risky places to be resettled elsewhere, and let the ministry issue directives and procedures (section 61A). The registers of ordinances of both Houses of Parliament list this ordinance as having become inactive under Article 114(2)(c) of the Constitution; what this means for the provisions it changed has not been established in the sources reviewed.11121314

Land Use Act, 2076 (2019): land is to be classified into zones including agricultural, residential, commercial, industrial, forest and public-use land (section 4); land in one zone may not be put to another use without approval (section 8; Ordinance No. 7 of 2083 had let a local land use council approve a change once, but Parliament's registers list that ordinance as inactive); rules are to regulate fragmentation, and governments may run land consolidation programmes for cooperative, collective and mechanised farming (section 10); no new houses in agricultural zones, except that an existing home may be rebuilt where the owner has no other land (section 11); the government may set up land banks at local level (section 21). Leaving land zoned for agriculture fallow for three consecutive years without notifying the local government of a reasonable cause beyond the owner's control is an offence punishable by a fine of up to Rs 100,000 based on estimated production (sections 24–25).15121314

Right to Food and Food Sovereignty Act, 2075 (2018): every farmer has food sovereignty rights, including access to the means needed for farming, choice of local seeds and protection from arbitrary removal from farming (section 12). Governments are to raise investment in food production, widen access to inputs, insurance and markets, fix minimum support prices for storable crops, give priority access to farmland for women farmers and landless families, and fix support prices based on production cost (section 13). They are to stop farmland being left fallow or plotted, and are to cut grants to landowners who leave farmland idle without reason and promote cooperative, contract or group farming of fallow land (section 15). Local governments must keep records of farmland and fallow land (section 17). The Act's regulations were published in the Gazette on 2081/01/10.1617

16th Plan (FY 2081/82–2085/86): its programmes include land classification and land use plans in all local governments, land re-survey, legal and institutional arrangements for land banks and a land market, use of idle government land for farming, cooperative and collective farming, a law to promote contract farming and land consolidation, an institutional production-based subsidy system, and a calendar for announcing minimum support prices and buying produce. For irrigation, it proposes finishing projects under construction and a state subsidy on electricity tariffs for lift irrigation in the hills and pumped groundwater irrigation in the Terai.18

FY 2083/84 budget: a pilot grant of up to 40 per cent for farmers who have invested at least Rs 20 million in production, paid out at 10 per cent a year for four years from the start of production; up to 80 per cent premium subsidy on agricultural insurance with other subsidies gradually phased out; a challenge fund for local small and medium irrigation; an Agricultural Bill on fair prices, farmer–buyer contracts and subsidies (para 24). Irrigation for an additional 15,800 hectares, which the speech says will bring irrigated agricultural land to 64 per cent (para 44). Rs 32.46 billion for fertiliser, Rs 2.07 billion for the National Agriculture Modernization Program, farmer identity cards, local land banks and private agro-pooling on uncultivated government land and reclaimed riverbanks, turning unused private arable land into shares in commercial farming companies, and arrangements for landless Dalits, squatters and informal settlers within the fiscal year (para 50).192021

Land banks: the ministry responsible for land approved a Land Bank (Establishment and Operation) Procedure on 2083/03/15 and, by a public notice of 2083 Shrawan 6, said it had been circulated to all local governments so that unused or fallow private land can be brought into use through them. Under the procedure, a landowner who deposits land keeps ownership and must keep paying land revenue and property tax, while the user must use the land only for the agreed purpose, protect its boundaries and soil fertility, and may not sublet it.2223

Question 3

What is known, uncertain or disputed?

Known

Irrigation is expanding slowly. By mid-March 2026, 1,587,910 hectares were irrigated, up 1,570 hectares since mid-July 2025: 44.63 per cent of the 3,557,764 hectares of cultivable land and 62.61 per cent of the 2,536,319 hectares of irrigable land. The 16th Plan puts the share of irrigable land with year-round irrigation at about 25 per cent. Of the six national pride irrigation and diversion projects described in the Economic Survey, physical progress by mid-March 2026 ranged from 27.98 per cent (Mahakali) to 78.74 per cent (Babai).245

Most farm subsidy money goes to fertiliser, and few farms receive subsidies. In FY 2081/82 the agriculture ministry spent Rs 32.14 billion on 12 subsidy programmes, 83.51 per cent of it on chemical fertiliser; it gave Rs 26.82 billion to the Agriculture Inputs Company and the Salt Trading Corporation to buy 487 thousand tonnes against a target of 550 thousand tonnes. The Auditor General found that without an integrated record across the three levels of government, subsidies were duplicated, marginal farmers lacked access to most demand-based grants, and productivity had not risen as expected. In the 2021/22 census only 7 per cent of holdings (308,512) reported receiving any government farm subsidy, 46 per cent of them for fertiliser.251

Fertiliser supply and sales. For FY 2025/26 the target was to buy 600 thousand tonnes of chemical fertiliser; by mid-March 2026, 495,907 tonnes had been imported and, including carried-over stock, 406,091 tonnes distributed at subsidised prices. Sales of urea, DAP and potash were 441,305 tonnes in FY 2081/82, against 458,318 tonnes the year before.46

Price support reaches a small volume. Minimum support prices for FY 2025/26 were Rs 3,463.81 per quintal for coarse paddy, Rs 3,628.33 for medium paddy and Rs 3,945 for wheat. In FY 2024/25 the state-owned Food Management and Trading Company bought 11,700 tonnes of paddy at the minimum support price; paddy production that year was 5,955,476 tonnes.46

Most farmers own the land they farm, and fragmentation is high. In 2021/22, 81.6 per cent of holdings were fully owned, 1 per cent (59,091) fully rented and 16.8 per cent held under more than one arrangement; 131,504 holdings kept livestock but had almost no land. Holdings averaged 2.8 parcels and the average parcel was 0.19 hectares. Land left temporarily fallow almost doubled over the decade to 60,542.6 hectares on 448,735 holdings. Only 12 per cent of holdings had an agricultural loan (22 per cent in 2011/12) and 4 per cent had any farm insurance.13

Land claims of landless and informal settlers. By the end of Asar 2082 (mid-July 2025), the Land Problems Resolution Commission had entered 1,128,551 records into its information system: 88,826 landless Dalits, 168,315 landless squatters and 881,410 informal settlers. It had distributed 6,944 land ownership certificates: 869 to landless Dalits, 924 to landless squatters, 1,726 to informal settlers and 3,407 for incomplete work of earlier bodies. (By our addition, the category figures as printed sum to 1,138,551 records and 6,926 certificates; the report's totals are given here as printed.) The Economic Survey reports records entered for 606 local governments and 9,090 certificates distributed, including previously issued ones, by mid-March 2026.2627

Farmer registration and commercial programmes. By mid-March 2026, more than 2.383 million farming households had been registered, but registration was complete in only 60 of 753 local governments. Under the National Agriculture Modernization Program, running since FY 2016/17, 21 super zones, 206 zones, 1,699 blocks and 9,393 pockets had been set up by mid-March 2026, and consolidated farming through land consolidation and crop pooling covered 8,464 hectares.4

Uncertain

Official irrigation figures use different bases and are not directly comparable. The Economic Survey gives 44.63 per cent of cultivable land and 62.61 per cent of irrigable land as irrigated (mid-March 2026). The 2021/22 agriculture census found 54.5 per cent of the land operated by farm holdings irrigated, 72.7 per cent of it year-round. The 16th Plan's text puts year-round irrigation at about 25 per cent of irrigable land, while its target table gives the same 25 per cent as the share of cultivable land with year-round irrigation (target 50 per cent); and the FY 2083/84 budget speech says 15,800 more hectares will bring irrigated agricultural land to 64 per cent without stating the base. Which measure to track matters for judging progress.24152028

How much farmland is abandoned is not known. The agriculture census counts only land operated by farm holdings: land the holder chose not to cultivate in the reference year but intended to cultivate later is 'temporary fallow' (60,542.6 hectares), land idle for five years or more is counted under other uses, and land that no holding operates is outside the census. The census records that the area operated fell by about 300 thousand hectares in ten years but does not say why. No official national estimate of abandoned farmland was found in the sources reviewed.13

The number of people entitled to land is not settled. The Commission's 1,128,551 records (mid-July 2025; its category figures add up to 1,138,551) are entries in its information system, not final decisions on eligibility. A June 2026 news report, citing the dissolved Commission's data, gave 1,233,106 landless Dalits, landless squatters and informal settlers; this could not be checked against an official source. The Commission's certificate count (6,944 by mid-July 2025) and the Economic Survey's (9,090 by mid-March 2026, including earlier ones) cover different dates and may count differently.262729

The legal footing of the landless programme is unsettled. Changes to the Land Act and the Land Use Act were made by Ordinance No. 7 of 2083. Under Article 114 of the Constitution, an ordinance ceases to have effect if both Houses of Parliament do not adopt it, and in any case 60 days after both Houses have met, unless it is repealed earlier. The registers of ordinances of the House of Representatives and the National Assembly list this ordinance as having become inactive under Article 114(2)(c). The Land (21st amendment) Rules, 2083 (Gazette 2083/02/11) provide for the Land Problems Resolution Committee under section 52C1, and the ministry's 2083 procedure for giving land to landless people was issued under section 61A; both sections were added by that ordinance. Whether any later law has restored these provisions, and what the lapse means for the committee and the procedure, was not established in the sources reviewed.123013143132

Some production figures are unclear. The English translation of the Economic Survey says rice production in FY 2025/26 contracted 4.20 per cent to '5,75,125 metric tons', which does not fit the ministry's figure of 5,955,476 tonnes for the year before; the number appears to be a misprint and is not used here. The Survey also gives 2025/26 rice productivity as 4.14 tonnes per hectare, while its regional comparison gives 4.19 for 2024.46

Disputed

Whether the Land Problems Resolution Commission should have been dissolved, and what has replaced it. The Council of Ministers decided on 2082/06/23 to dissolve the Commission and its district committees, according to the land ministry's press release of 2082 Asoj 24. The Commission's chair challenged the decision in the Supreme Court; a Commission notice dated 2082/07/21 states that the court issued a short-term interim order on 2082/07/11 and continued it on 2082 Kartik 13. Kantipur reported on 2082 Mangsir 15 that a two-judge bench had annulled the dissolution decision, and on 2083 Baisakh 17 that a full bench had decided, on the government's petition, to review that ruling; the court's written decisions were not opened. Ordinance No. 7 of 2083 removed the Commission provision from the Land Act and allowed committees instead; Parliament's registers of ordinances list that ordinance as inactive. According to a news report of 2083 Jestha 20, the Council of Ministers formed a Land Problems Resolution Committee, and the ministry's 2083 procedure on land for landless people is issued in the committee's name.333435361213142932

Questions 4–5

What are the options, and what do they cost and achieve?

Options are listed in no particular order. Policy Nepal does not recommend one; real policies often combine them.

Reform input subsidies and price support25192141816

Keep supporting farmers, but change how: target fertiliser and seed subsidies through the farmer register, shift part of the money towards insurance premium subsidies and grants tied to production, and make minimum support prices meaningful by buying more produce on a published calendar.

Benefits
  • Could reach more small and marginal farmers, whom the Auditor General found often miss out on demand-based grants.
  • Insurance and reliable purchase prices reduce the risk of losses from bad weather or price falls, which may encourage farmers to invest.
Costs
  • Buying more produce at support prices needs storage, working capital and a plan for selling stocks; in FY 2024/25 the state trading company bought 11,700 tonnes of paddy.
  • Insurance subsidies are growing: the Auditor General notes that as livestock insurance expands, the government's financial liability rises.
Trade-offs
  • Cutting fertiliser subsidies frees money but may raise costs for farmers who rely on them; fertiliser was 83.51 per cent of the ministry's subsidy spending in FY 2081/82.
  • Higher support prices help growers but can raise food prices for consumers, including poor households that buy most of their food.
What implementation needs
  • Finish the farmer register (complete in 60 of 753 local governments by mid-March 2026) and keep one subsidy record across the three levels of government, as the Auditor General recommends.
  • Buy fertiliser on time under an annual calendar, and pass the Agricultural Bill the budget announces on fair prices, contracts and subsidies.

Invest in year-round irrigation and farm infrastructure281822419209

Finish the large irrigation and diversion projects, repair existing canals, and expand small, lift and groundwater irrigation run with local governments, so more land can grow two or three crops a year.

Benefits
  • Year-round water is a precondition for higher yields and for using fertiliser and improved seed well; the 16th Plan aims to double year-round coverage from 25 to 50 per cent.
  • Reduces exposure to drought; the Economic Survey links lower paddy output in FY 2025/26 to drought during planting in the Terai, as well as excessive rain at harvest.
Costs
  • Large projects take many years; the Economic Survey lists completion dates up to FY 2032/33 for Sikta and Sunkoshi Marin.
  • Lift and pumped irrigation need cheap, reliable electricity; the 16th Plan proposes a state subsidy on electricity tariffs, an ongoing public cost.
Trade-offs
  • Money for big canal systems in the Terai is not available for small schemes in the hills, and the reverse.
  • Building new schemes competes with maintaining old ones; the budget funds both new command areas and rehabilitation of older systems.
What implementation needs
  • Publish irrigated area on one agreed definition each year, separating year-round from seasonal irrigation.
  • Use the budget's challenge fund so local governments compete for small and medium irrigation money, and coordinate with provinces, which hold province-level irrigation powers.

Bring idle and fragmented land into use through land banks, leasing and consolidation15222314181621

Use the new land banks to lease idle private land to farmers, cooperatives and firms with the owner's agreement, promote land consolidation and cooperative or contract farming, and enforce the rules against leaving zoned farmland fallow.

Benefits
  • Larger operated plots make mechanisation, irrigation and commercial crops more viable; the average parcel is 0.19 hectares.
  • Owners who have migrated or left farming can earn from their land while keeping ownership, as the land bank procedure provides.
Costs
  • Local governments need staff, records and dispute handling to run land banks; the procedure asks them to set up a land section and keep digital registers.
  • Consolidation so far is small: 8,464 hectares under the modernization programme by mid-March 2026.
Trade-offs
  • Fines for fallow land push owners to use land but may fall on households that left land idle because of labour shortage or migration; voluntary leasing relies on owners trusting the system.
  • Leasing to companies can bring capital and scale but raises questions about the security of tenants and smallholders; the Right to Food Act asks governments to protect farmers from arbitrary removal from farming.
What implementation needs
  • Finish land use zoning and maps for every local government; the fallow-land offence in the Land Use Act applies to land classified in the agricultural zone, so it depends on that zoning.
  • Pass the contract farming and land consolidation law the 16th Plan proposes, and publish land bank deposits and leases as the procedure requires.

Settle land claims and secure tenure for landless people and informal settlers7111012263329371314

Verify the records already collected, give titles to those who qualify under the Land Act, resettle people living in risky places, and, as a further possible step, enforce ceilings so that land above the limit can be used for redistribution.

Benefits
  • Fulfils constitutional commitments, including land once for landless Dalits (Article 40(5)) and farmers' access to land (Article 42(4)).
  • A secure title lets families invest in their land and use it as collateral, and reduces repeated disputes.
Costs
  • The scale is large: over 1.1 million records against 6,944 certificates by mid-July 2025, and, according to a news report, 23 similar commissions and committees were formed before the current one.
  • Surveying, verification and resettlement need staff and money at central, district and local level.
  • Enforcing ceilings would take land, or the right to keep it, from existing holders above the limit, including firms that obtained approval under section 12A of the Land Act.
  • Informal settlers receive ownership only on paying a fee set by classification (section 52C), and people living on land the law excludes, such as riverbanks and forests, cannot be given title where they live (sections 52B(4) and 52C(2)); for them this option means moving or receiving no title.
Trade-offs
  • Regularising long-term settlement on government, ailani or recorded-forest land gives security to families but reduces public and forest land; the law excludes riverbanks, protected areas, forests and road reserves.
  • Stricter ceiling enforcement could free land but cuts against exemptions the law gives to industry and commercial farming, and against section 12A, which lets firms that applied keep land above the ceiling on paying a fee.
What implementation needs
  • Settle the legal basis: Parliament's registers list Ordinance No. 7 of 2083 as inactive, so the footing of the committee and of the 2083 procedure needs to be made clear in law; and carry over the Commission's records (transferred to the Department of Survey under the 2082 decision).
  • Publish verified numbers by category and local government, and the number of certificates issued each year.

Commercialise farming and improve market access41921183

Focus support on commercial production zones, processing, storage and links to buyers: the National Agriculture Modernization Program, the budget's grant for larger investors, warehouse receipt financing, processing centres and contract farming.

Benefits
  • Can raise incomes and replace imports; the Economic Survey credits the potato value-chain programme with about Rs 2.03 billion of extra supply for the domestic market.
  • Storage and warehouse receipts let farmers sell later rather than at harvest, when prices are often lowest.
Costs
  • Grants to large investors (up to 40 per cent for those investing at least Rs 20 million) are public money that may go to people who would have invested anyway.
  • Processing and cold storage need reliable roads and electricity, which many hill and mountain areas lack.
Trade-offs
  • Support aimed at commercial farmers may leave out the more than 2.5 million holdings under half a hectare, many of which grow mainly for their own use.
  • Turning unused private land into shares in farming companies, as the budget proposes, may raise output but changes how owners control their land.
What implementation needs
  • Pass the Agricultural Bill on prices, contracts and subsidies, and set rules for warehouse receipts and contract farming that protect smaller sellers.
  • Evaluate the modernization programme's zones and pockets independently and publish results, since the reported income and employment figures are estimates from government reporting.

Combining options

These options are not exclusive, and current policy already mixes them: the FY 2083/84 budget combines a large fertiliser allocation with a shift towards insurance, new irrigation, land banks, commercial grants and a commitment to arrange for landless Dalits, squatters and informal settlers within the year. The choices are about balance and order. Irrigation and secure land rights make other spending more effective; leasing and consolidation matter more where owners have left farming; and land banks and fallow-land rules depend on finishing land use zoning. Support aimed at commercial farms and support aimed at smallholders and landless families compete for the same budget.

Question 6

Who is responsible?

Federal
Federal ministry responsible for agriculture (now the Ministry of Agriculture, Forest and Environment)

Runs national farm subsidies, fertiliser procurement through state companies, minimum support prices, the National Agriculture Modernization Program, crop insurance subsidies and farmer registration. The Economic Survey 2082/83 and the Auditor General's 63rd report refer to it as the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development; its website and 2026 statistics book use the new name.425638

Federal
Federal ministry responsible for land management (now भूमि व्यवस्था, सहकारी, सङ्घीय मामिला तथा सामान्य प्रशासन मन्त्रालय; no English form of the new name was found on its website)

Administers the Land Act and Land Use Act, land records and land revenue offices; issued the 2083 land bank procedure and the 2083 procedure for providing land to landless people and informal settlers. Its 2082 press release was issued as the Ministry of Land Management, Cooperatives and Poverty Alleviation. The English title on its website still shows the earlier name.2232332738

Federal
Land Problems Resolution Commission / Committee

Identifies landless Dalits, landless squatters and informal settlers, collects records and evidence, and arranges land titles. The Council of Ministers decided on 2082/06/23 to dissolve the Commission; according to Kantipur, the Supreme Court annulled that decision and a full bench later decided to review the ruling. The Land (21st amendment) Rules, 2083 provide for a committee under a section added by Ordinance No. 7 of 2083, which Parliament's registers list as inactive. The body's website now carries the committee's name. Its current legal standing was not established in the sources reviewed.113335363112131439

Federal
Federal ministry responsible for irrigation (Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation)

Builds and runs federal irrigation projects, including the national pride projects, and reports irrigated area; constitutionally, central-level large irrigation projects are a federal power.24940

Federal
Agriculture Inputs Company Limited, Salt Trading Corporation Limited and Food Management and Trading Company Limited

The first two import and distribute subsidised fertiliser; the third buys paddy at the minimum support price.425

Provincial
Provincial governments

Hold powers over agriculture and livestock development, land management and land records, and province-level irrigation; share land policy and law-making with the federation; approve provincial land use plans and recommend land use changes through provincial land use councils.915

Local
Local governments (rural municipalities and municipalities)

Run agricultural extension, local irrigation and agro-roads, and distribute land ownership certificates; classify land into land use zones and approve local land use plans; keep records of farmland and fallow land under the Right to Food Act; may set up land banks; register farmers.91516234

Federal
Federal Parliament

Decides whether to adopt ordinances (its registers list Ordinance No. 7 of 2083 as inactive), and decides on the Agricultural Bill and any land law reform the government brings.3012191314

Federal
National Statistics Office

Runs the ten-yearly agriculture census, the main source on farm size, tenure, land use, irrigation and inputs.1

Independent body
Office of the Auditor General

Audits farm subsidy, fertiliser and insurance spending and reports findings to Parliament each year.25

Question 7

What have parties and leaders said and done?

What was said or promised is shown apart from what was recorded as done. Every entry needs a dated source. A missing entry means the position is not established, not that someone opposes or is neutral.

Party positions on agriculture and land are still being researched. To keep coverage fair, they will be added for every party with seats in the House of Representatives at the same time, each from that party's own documents. The records above are government actions (budget, decisions, ordinance, procedures and audited results) and do not represent any party.

Said or promised

Position not established in reviewed sources.

Recorded actions and outcomes

Funding decision · 2026 (budget speech for FY 2083/84, 2026/27)

Government of Nepal (Ministry of Finance)

The FY 2083/84 budget allocates Rs 46.92 billion to agriculture and livestock development, including Rs 32.46 billion for chemical fertiliser, Rs 2.19 billion for agricultural insurance premium subsidies, Rs 2.07 billion for the National Agriculture Modernization Program and Rs 360 million in conditional grants for organic fertiliser. For irrigation it names allocations including Rs 5.63 billion (Babai, Rajapur and Bheri Babai), Rs 5.13 billion (Mahakali and Rani-Jamara-Kulariya), Rs 2.98 billion (Sunkoshi Marin) and Rs 2.55 billion (Sikta).2021

Implementation · 2082/06/23 (press release dated 2082 Asoj 24)

Government of Nepal (Council of Ministers)

Decided on 2082/06/23 to dissolve the Land Problems Resolution Commission and its district committees, ordering records to be handed to survey offices and certificates already decided to be distributed by the end of Kartik 2082.33

Implementation · 2083/01/20 (Gazette publication)

Government of Nepal (ordinance on recommendation of the Council of Ministers)

Ordinance No. 7 of 2083 amended the Land Act to replace the commission with committees or task forces for landless and informal-settler land, and required resettlement of those living in risky places; it amended the Land Use Act to let local land use councils approve a land use change once. Parliament's registers of ordinances list it as having become inactive under Article 114(2)(c) of the Constitution.121314

Implementation · 2083/03/02 and 2083/03/15 (notice dated 2083 Shrawan 6)

Federal ministry responsible for land management

Approved the Land Bank (Establishment and Operation) Procedure on 2083/03/15 and circulated it to all local governments; approved the procedure for providing land to landless Dalits, landless squatters and informal settlers on 2083/03/02.222332

Outcome · FY 2081/82 (Auditor General's 63rd annual report, 2083)

Federal ministry responsible for agriculture

In FY 2081/82 spent Rs 32.14 billion on 12 subsidy programmes, 83.51 per cent on chemical fertiliser, and bought 487 thousand tonnes of fertiliser against a target of 550 thousand tonnes (as audited by the Auditor General).25

Question 8

What would progress look like, and when do we check again?

IndicatorLatest official figureOfficial targetRevisit
Share of arable land with year-round irrigation2824 25 per cent (overall irrigation, all seasons: 44.63 per cent of cultivable land by mid-March 2026) (FY 2079/80 (16th Plan); latest overall figure mid-March 2026)2824 50 per cent (FY 2085/86)28 2027-06 (Economic Survey 2083/84)
Paddy yield (tonnes per hectare)28 3.79 (latest reported: 4.14 for FY 2025/26) (FY 2079/80; latest FY 2025/26 (2082/83))284 4.84 (FY 2085/86)28 2027-06 (Economic Survey 2083/84)
Households in severe food insecurity28 1.3 per cent (FY 2079/80 (16th Plan))28 1.0 per cent (FY 2085/86)28 2027-06, or when a new official food security estimate is published
Local governments that have completed farmer household registration421 60 of 753 (more than 2.383 million farming households registered nationwide) (mid-March 2026)4 Complete farmer identification and begin distributing identity cards (no number stated) (FY 2083/84)21 2027-06 (Economic Survey 2083/84)
Land ownership certificates given to landless Dalits, landless squatters and informal settlers2621 6,944 certificates against 1,128,551 records (mid-July 2025); 9,090 certificates including earlier ones by mid-March 2026 (Asar 2082 (mid-July 2025); mid-March 2026)2627 Arrange management of landless Dalits, squatters and informal settlers within the fiscal year (no number stated) (FY 2083/84)21 2027-06 (Economic Survey 2083/84), or when the legal basis of the land committee is settled

Sources

Grouped by type of evidence. Government plans show what government intends; they are not proof of results. Party material shows what a party says.

Constitution & law

  1. The Constitution of Nepal (English translation, incl. first and second amendments) — Nepal Law Commission, Government of Nepal, Gazette publication 20 September 2015 (2072/06/03); amended 2016 and 2020. Part 3: Article 25(1)–(5) (Right relating to Property), p. 14; Article 36 (Right relating to Food), p. 17; Article 40(5) (land to landless Dalits), p. 19; Article 42(4) (farmers' right to access land and seeds), p. 20. Checked 2026-10-10
  2. The Constitution of Nepal (English translation, incl. first and second amendments) — Nepal Law Commission, Government of Nepal, Gazette publication 20 September 2015; amended 2016 and 2020. Part 4, Article 51(e) Policies relating to Agriculture and Land Reforms, clauses (1)–(5), p. 26; Article 51(h)(12) (food production and food sovereignty), p. 29. Checked 2026-10-10
  3. The Constitution of Nepal (English translation, incl. first and second amendments) — Nepal Law Commission, Government of Nepal, Gazette publication 20 September 2015; amended 2016 and 2020. Schedule 5 items 14 and 29 (pp. 194); Schedule 6 items 7, 16, 20 (pp. 196–197); Schedule 7 items 9 and 24 (pp. 198–199); Schedule 8 items 11, 14, 15, 18 (pp. 200–201); Schedule 9 items 4, 5, 13 (p. 202). Checked 2026-10-10
  4. भूमिसम्बन्धी ऐन, २०२१ (Land Act, 2021), consolidated Nepali text — Nepal Law Commission, Government of Nepal, Royal seal and publication 2021/08/01; 16 amending Acts listed, the latest the 8th amendment (2076/10/28) and the investment-facilitation amending Act (2081/03/24). Title page (amending Acts), p. 1; section 7 (ceilings, homestead, tenanted land), pp. 7–9; section 12 (exemptions), pp. 11–12; section 12A (one-time approval with fees; added by the 8th amendment of 2076; sub-section (1A) added and sub-section (2) amended by the 2081 investment-facilitation Act, per the footnotes), pp. 12–13; sections 26B–26D (division between landowner and tenant), pp. 28–29. Checked 2026-10-10
  5. भूमिसम्बन्धी ऐन, २०२१ (Land Act, 2021), consolidated Nepali text — Nepal Law Commission, Government of Nepal, Royal seal and publication 2021/08/01; sections 52B–52D added by the 8th amendment (2076). Section 52A (land for landless Dalits), p. 40; section 52B (landless squatters, ten-year transfer bar, excluded land, commission), pp. 40–42; section 52C (informal settlers) and explanation, pp. 43–44. Checked 2026-10-10
  6. केही नेपाल ऐनलाई संशोधन गर्ने अध्यादेश, २०८३ (Ordinance to Amend Certain Nepal Acts, 2083), Ordinance No. 7 of 2083 — Nepal Law Commission, Government of Nepal, Nepal Gazette 2083/01/20. Section 4 (amendments to the Land Act: 52A(3)–(4), 52B(6)–(9) and 52C(8) struck out; 52B(4A), 52C1 and 61A added), pp. 1–2; section 17 (Land Use Act section 8(2A) and (3)), p. 8. Checked 2026-10-10
  7. दर्ता अध्यादेशहरू (Registered ordinances) — House of Representatives, Federal Parliament of Nepal, Undated register; entry registered 2083-01-25. Session 2, registration no. 1: केही नेपाल ऐनलाई संशोधन गर्ने अध्यादेश, २०८३ (Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs), status "संविधानको धारा ११४ को उपधारा (२) को खण्ड (ग) बमोजिम निष्क्रिय"; detail page https://hr.parliament.gov.np/np/bills/bOMXehuq with attached text containing the Land Act s. 52C1 and Land Use Act s. 8 amendments. Checked 2026-10-10
  8. दर्ता अध्यादेशहरू (Registered ordinances) — National Assembly, Federal Parliament of Nepal, Undated register; entry registered 2083-01-25. Session 21, registration no. 1: केही नेपाल ऐनलाई संशोधन गर्न बनेको अध्यादेश, २०८३, status "संविधानको धारा ११४ को उपधारा (२) को खण्ड (ग) बमोजिम निष्क्रिय"; detail page https://na.parliament.gov.np/np/bills/IQB5orMi (attached text identical to the House of Representatives copy). Checked 2026-10-10
  9. भूउपयोग ऐन, २०७६ (Land Use Act, 2076), Nepali text — Nepal Law Commission, Government of Nepal, Authenticated and published 2076/05/06 (Act No. 6 of 2076). Section 4 (land use zones), pp. 4–6; section 6 (land use plans), pp. 7–8; section 8 (no change of use without approval), pp. 9–10; sections 10–11 (fragmentation, consolidation, no new houses in agricultural zones), pp. 11–12; sections 16–19 (provincial and local land use councils), pp. 14–16; sections 21–22 (land bank, incentives), p. 19; sections 24–25 (offences and fines), pp. 19–20. Checked 2026-10-10
  10. The Right to Food and Food Sovereignty Act, 2075 (2018) — Nepal Law Commission, Government of Nepal (English translation, hosted by FAOLEX), Authenticated 2075/06/02 (18 September 2018); Act No. 13 of 2075. Sections 12–13 (farmers' food sovereignty rights; government duties incl. minimum support prices and access for women and landless families), pp. 6–7; section 15 (sustainable use of agricultural land), pp. 7–8; section 17 (local records of farmland and fallow land), pp. 8–9. Checked 2026-10-10
  11. खाद्य अधिकार तथा खाद्य सम्प्रभुतासम्बन्धी नियमावली, २०८० (Right to Food and Food Sovereignty Regulations, 2080) — Nepal Law Commission, Government of Nepal, Nepal Gazette 2081/01/10. Title page, p. 1. Checked 2026-10-10
  12. The Constitution of Nepal (English translation, incl. first and second amendments) — Nepal Law Commission, Government of Nepal, Gazette publication 20 September 2015; amended 2016 and 2020. Article 114 (Provisions relating to Ordinance), clauses (1)–(2) and proviso (a)–(c), p. 62. Checked 2026-10-10
  13. भूमि सम्बन्धी (एक्काइसौँ संशोधन) नियमहरू, २०८३ (Land (21st amendment) Rules, 2083) — Ministry of Land Management, Cooperatives, Federal Affairs and General Administration, Government of Nepal (Nepal Gazette), Nepal Gazette Part 3, Vol. 76, No. 9, 2083/02/11. Preamble (made under Land Act s. 61) and rule 2, Gazette pp. 5–6; rule 3 inserting rule 41A1 (Land Problems Resolution Committee "under section 52C1 of the Act"), p. 7. Checked 2026-10-10

Government plans & policy

  1. सोह्रौं योजना (आर्थिक वर्ष २०८१/८२–२०८५/८६) — The Sixteenth Plan — National Planning Commission, Government of Nepal, 2081 Jestha. Chapter 3, section 3.2 current situation (crop productivity 3.42 t/ha; about 25% of irrigable land with year-round irrigation; share of agricultural produce, animals and food in imports 15% against a 5% target), p. 68; section 3.3(1) key issues for agriculture, p. 69. Checked 2026-10-10
  2. सोह्रौं योजना (आर्थिक वर्ष २०८१/८२–२०८५/८६) — The Sixteenth Plan — National Planning Commission, Government of Nepal, 2081 Jestha. Chapter 3, section 3.4(1) transformative strategy for agriculture, p. 70; section 3.5 programmes (1) land use and productivity, (2) attracting people to agriculture incl. minimum support price calendar, contract farming and consolidation law, production-based subsidy, pp. 74–75; (7) irrigation incl. electricity tariff subsidy, p. 76. Checked 2026-10-10
  3. Budget Speech for Fiscal Year 2026/27 (2083/84), English unofficial translation — Ministry of Finance, Government of Nepal, 2026 (linked from https://mof.gov.np/content/1754/budget-speech--english--2026-27/). Paragraph 24, clauses (a)–(f), pp. 11–12. Checked 2026-10-10
  4. Budget Speech for Fiscal Year 2026/27 (2083/84), English unofficial translation — Ministry of Finance, Government of Nepal, 2026. Paragraph 44 (Irrigation Infrastructure Development), clauses (a)–(n), pp. 23–24. Checked 2026-10-10
  5. Budget Speech for Fiscal Year 2026/27 (2083/84), English unofficial translation — Ministry of Finance, Government of Nepal, 2026. Paragraph 50 (Agricultural Development and Land Management), clauses (a)–(m) and total allocation of Rs 46.92 billion, pp. 30–31. Checked 2026-10-10
  6. भूमि बैङ्क (स्थापना तथा सञ्चालन) कार्यविधि, २०८३ (Land Bank (Establishment and Operation) Procedure, 2083) — Ministry of Land Management, Cooperatives, Federal Affairs and General Administration, Government of Nepal, Decision 2083/03/15; registered 2083/03/24. Preamble and section 2 (definitions), pp. 1–2; section 21 (rights and duties of owner and user), p. 9; section 23 (publication of records), pp. 9–10; section 24 (grants for users of fallow land), p. 10. Checked 2026-10-10
  7. भूमि बैङ्क सञ्चालन सम्बन्धी सार्वजनिक सूचना (Public notice on operating land banks) — Ministry of Land Management, Cooperatives, Federal Affairs and General Administration, Government of Nepal, 2083 Shrawan 6. Full notice (one page). Checked 2026-10-10
  8. सोह्रौं योजना (आर्थिक वर्ष २०८१/८२–२०८५/८६) — The Sixteenth Plan — National Planning Commission, Government of Nepal, 2081 Jestha. Chapter 3, section 3.6 quantitative targets, agriculture and livestock table rows 1.1 (paddy 3.79 to 4.84 t/ha), 3 (year-round irrigation 25% to 50%), 5 (households in severe food insecurity 1.3% to 1.0%), pp. 81–82; land management table, p. 82. Checked 2026-10-10
  9. भूमिहीन दलित, भूमिहीन सुकुम्बासी र अव्यवस्थित बसोबासीलाई जग्गा उपलब्ध गराउने सम्बन्धी कार्यविधि, २०८३ — Ministry of Land Management, Cooperatives, Federal Affairs and General Administration (Land Problems Resolution Committee), Government of Nepal, Approved by the Government of Nepal (minister level) 2083/03/02. Cover page (approval date; issuing committee), p. 1; preamble (issued under section 61A of the Land Act) and section 2, p. 2. Checked 2026-10-10
  10. प्रेस विज्ञप्ति: भूमि समस्या समाधान आयोग खारेज सम्बन्धमा (Press release on dissolution of the Land Problems Resolution Commission) — Ministry of Land Management, Cooperatives and Poverty Alleviation, Government of Nepal, 2082 Asoj 24. Full release, clauses (क)–(ज), pp. 1–2 (Council of Ministers decision of 2082/06/23; Commission formed under the 2081 formation order following the decision of 2081/06/02; records to the Department of Survey). Checked 2026-10-10
  11. सम्मानित सर्वोच्च अदालतको उत्प्रेषण आदेश अनुसार आयोगका जिल्ला समितिहरुलाई निर्देशन सम्बन्धमा (Instructions to district committees following the Supreme Court order) — Land Problems Resolution Commission (भूमि समस्या समाधान आयोग), Government of Nepal, 2082/07/21. One-page notice (scanned image; read visually): Supreme Court short-term interim order of 2082/07/11, continued on 2082 Kartik 13; district committees told to continue work in the status quo. Checked 2026-10-10
  12. कृषि, वन तथा पर्यावरण मन्त्रालय — homepage (moald.gov.np) — Ministry of Agriculture, Forest and Environment, Government of Nepal, Undated web page. Site header and notices (ministry name; notice on progress in 100 working days after the new government formed on 2082 Chaitra 13). Checked 2026-10-10
  13. lirc.gov.np — homepage — Land Problems Resolution Committee (भूमि समस्या समाधान समिति), Government of Nepal, Undated web page. Site header (भूमि समस्या समाधान समिति; English page title still "Land Problem Settlement Commission") and notice list. Checked 2026-10-10
  14. ऊर्जा, जलस्रोत तथा सिँचाइ मन्त्रालय — homepage (moewri.gov.np) — Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation, Government of Nepal, Undated web page. Site header and page title. Checked 2026-10-10

Official data

  1. National Sample Census of Agriculture 2021/22: National Report — National Statistics Office, Government of Nepal, August 2023. Part II Major Findings: 2.1 number and area of holdings, p. 9; 2.2 fragmentation and 2.3 tenure, p. 10; 2.4 land use (incl. temporary fallow), p. 11; 2.8 irrigation, p. 14; 2.12 loan, insurance and subsidy, p. 16; 2.13 farm population, p. 17; section 1.14 limitations, p. 7; Part IV definitions, pp. 137–140 (temporary fallow, p. 140). Checked 2026-10-10
  2. Economic Survey 2025/26 (English unofficial translation of आर्थिक सर्वेक्षण २०८२/८३) — Ministry of Finance, Government of Nepal, 2026 (linked from https://mof.gov.np/content/1803/economic-survey/). Chapter 1: para 1.20 (drought and paddy), p. 6; para 1.28 (agriculture share of GDP 24.0%), p. 8. Checked 2026-10-10
  3. National Sample Census of Agriculture 2021/22: National Report — National Statistics Office, Government of Nepal, August 2023. Table 1 (number, area and fragmentation of holdings by size), p. 21; Table 3 (land use, incl. temporary fallow 60,542.6 ha on 448,735 holdings), pp. 25–26. Checked 2026-10-10
  4. Economic Survey 2025/26 (English unofficial translation of आर्थिक सर्वेक्षण २०८२/८३) — Ministry of Finance, Government of Nepal, 2026. Chapter 7: paras 7.1–7.4, p. 89; paras 7.7–7.12 and Tables 7(a)–7(c) (minimum support prices, FMTC procurement, subsidy spending, fertiliser), pp. 90–91; para 7.14 (farmer registration), p. 92; Box 7(a) (potato value chain), p. 93; paras 7.17–7.19 (National Agriculture Modernization Program, consolidation 8,464 ha), pp. 93–94; para 7.30 (rice production and productivity), p. 95; paras 7.73–7.75 (regional productivity), p. 105. Checked 2026-10-10
  5. Statistical Information on Nepalese Agriculture 2081/82 (2024/25) — Ministry of Agriculture, Forest and Environment (Statistics and Analysis Section), Government of Nepal, 2026 (linked from https://moald.gov.np/content/500/statistics-information-on-nepalese-agriculture-2081-82/). Summary statistics 0.3 (cereal area and production), p. 1; 0.9 (annual sales of chemical fertiliser), p. 3; Table 11.2 (imports by selected agricultural commodities, HS 1005 9000 maize and HS 1006 1090 paddy, value in Rs thousand; source Department of Customs), p. 194. Checked 2026-10-10
  6. Economic Survey 2025/26 (English unofficial translation of आर्थिक सर्वेक्षण २०८२/८३) — Ministry of Finance, Government of Nepal, 2026. Chapter 7: paras 7.83–7.84, Table 7(n) and Chart 7(b) (irrigated area 1,587,910 ha; 44.63% of cultivable and 62.61% of irrigable land), p. 108; Box 7(c) (six national pride irrigation projects: Sikta, Rani Jamara Kulariya, Bheri-Babai, Mahakali, Sunkoshi Marin, Babai), pp. 109–110. Checked 2026-10-10
  7. महालेखापरीक्षकको त्रिसट्ठीऔँ वार्षिक प्रतिवेदन, सारांश-२०८३ (63rd Annual Report, summary) — Office of the Auditor General, Nepal, 2083. Paragraph 61 (use of grants: Rs 32.14 bn in 12 programmes, 83.51% fertiliser; findings), pp. 35–36; paragraph 62 (chemical fertiliser procurement), p. 36; paragraph 63 (crop and livestock insurance premium subsidy), p. 36. Checked 2026-10-10
  8. २०८२ असार महिनाको प्रगति विवरण (Progress report for Asar 2082) — Land Problems Resolution Commission (भूमि समस्या समाधान आयोग), Government of Nepal, 2082 (progress to end of Asar 2082, mid-July 2025). Table 1 (land ownership certificates distributed: 869, 924, 1,726, 3,407; total 6,944), p. 1; Table 2 (records entered in NALCIS: 88,826, 168,315, 881,410; total 1,128,551), p. 2. Checked 2026-10-10
  9. Economic Survey 2025/26 (English unofficial translation of आर्थिक सर्वेक्षण २०८२/८३) — Ministry of Finance, Government of Nepal, 2026. Chapter 7 Land Management: paras 7.86–7.90 (LRIMS, land service centres, Land Problems Resolution Commission records in 606 local levels and 9,090 certificates), p. 111. Checked 2026-10-10

News reports

  1. Report on formation of the Land Problems Resolution Committee — Onlinekhabar, 2083 Jestha 20 (June 2026). Full article (Council of Ministers formed the committee after the commission was abolished by ordinance; figure of 1,233,106 attributed to the dissolved commission's data). Checked 2026-10-10
  2. सर्वोच्चले ब्युँतायो भूमि आयोग (Supreme Court revives land commission) — Kantipur (ekantipur.com), 2082 Mangsir 15 (1 December 2025). Full article (writ by the Commission chair filed Kartik 9; bench of two justices annulled the dissolution decision). Checked 2026-10-10
  3. भूमि आयोग ब्युँताउने आफ्नै फैसला सर्वोच्चले पुन: सुनुवाइ गर्ने (Supreme Court to re-hear its own decision reviving the land commission) — Kantipur (ekantipur.com), 2083 Baisakh 17. Full article (a full bench of three justices decided, on the government's review petition, to review the Supreme Court's ruling of 2082 Mangsir 15). Checked 2026-10-10
  4. सुकुम्बासी समस्या समाधानका लागि फेरि अर्को समिति, कस्ता छन् पुराना आयोगहरू? (Another committee to solve the squatter problem; what were the old commissions like?) — Hamro Patro News, 2 June 2026. Full article (statement that 23 commissions and committees of a similar nature had been formed before). Checked 2026-10-10

Corrections & right of reply

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Change history
  1. 2026-10-10 — First researched draft of the agriculture and land issue page (status: review). (New topic page for the National Agenda; all figures taken from sources opened on 2026-10-10. Party positions intentionally not included pending all-party research. Differing official figures (irrigation coverage on different bases; Commission and Economic Survey certificate counts; rice productivity) are shown side by side, not reconciled. Ministry names follow the ministries' current websites, with the names used in the cited reports noted.)
  2. 2026-10-10 — Ordinance No. 7 of 2083: added that the registers of ordinances of both Houses list it as inactive under Article 114(2)(c); reworded law_policy (Land Act, Land Use Act), uncertain, disputed, responsibility (committee, Parliament), positions, option D implementation and the classification so that no provision resting on the ordinance is presented as current law. (Independent verification opened hr.parliament.gov.np and na.parliament.gov.np ordinance registers (2026-10-10); the attached ordinance text matches Ordinance No. 7 of 2083. The previous draft said its status could not be confirmed and presented its provisions as in force.)
  3. 2026-10-10 — Committee legal basis: added the Land (21st amendment) Rules, 2083 (Gazette 2083/02/11), which provide for the committee under section 52C1, a section added by the ordinance. (Primary Gazette text opened on the committee's website; needed to show what the committee and the 2083 procedure rest on.)
  4. 2026-10-10 — Supreme Court: added the Commission's notice of 2082/07/21 (interim orders of 2082/07/11 and 2082 Kartik 13) and Kantipur's 2083 Baisakh 17 report that a full bench decided to review the 2082 Mangsir 15 ruling; all court outcomes attributed to their source. (Balance and completeness: the draft reported the annulment but not the review. The court's own orders could not be retrieved from supremecourt.gov.np.)
  5. 2026-10-10 — Land Act section 12A: corrected "since 2081 / a 2081 amendment lets firms keep land above the ceiling for a fee" to: section 12A was added by the 8th amendment of 2076; the 2081 Act added a further six-month window (12A(1A)) and amended 12A(2). Updated classification, law_policy and option D trade-off accordingly. (Footnote markers on p. 12 of the Law Commission consolidated text (page rendered and read).)
  6. 2026-10-10 — FY 2083/84 budget para 24(a): corrected "repaid at 10 per cent a year" to "paid out at 10 per cent a year for four years from the start of production". (The speech says the grant "will be reimbursed" to the farmer annually; it is not a repayment by farmers. The Nepali text (शोधभर्ना) was already correct.)
  7. 2026-10-10 — Economic Survey Box 7(c): "five" national pride irrigation projects corrected to "six". (Box 7(c) describes Sikta, Rani Jamara Kulariya, Bheri-Babai, Mahakali, Sunkoshi Marin and Babai.)
  8. 2026-10-10 — Commission progress report (Asar 2082): disclosed that its category rows sum to 1,138,551 records and 6,926 certificates, against printed totals of 1,128,551 and 6,944. (Our arithmetic check of the source tables; totals kept as printed, difference disclosed.)
  9. 2026-10-10 — Irrigation (uncertain): disclosed that the 16th Plan itself states the 25 per cent year-round figure against irrigable land in its text and against cultivable land in its target table. (Keeps every irrigation base visible with its definition (Plan pp. 68 and 81).)
  10. 2026-10-10 — Temporary fallow definition corrected to the census wording (land not cultivated in the reference year but intended for later cultivation; land idle five years or more counted elsewhere); NSCA definitions locator corrected to p. 140. (NSCA Part IV, printed p. 140.)
  11. 2026-10-10 — Land Use Act wording: fallow offence applies unless a reasonable cause beyond the owner's control is notified (s. 24(b)); rebuilding an existing home in an agricultural zone is allowed where the owner has no other land (s. 11). Land Act s. 52C: ten-year cultivation counted at the time the section came into force. (Precision against the Nepali text of the Acts.)
  12. 2026-10-10 — Smaller precision fixes: fertiliser sales table does not say "subsidised"; paddy import figure is one customs line ("Others Paddy"); RTF Act s. 15 duty is mandatory ("are to"), not "may"; ES para 1.20 also cites excessive rain at harvest and is on p. 6; land bank wording changed from "told every local government to set up" to "circulated a procedure to all local governments"; NAMP income/employment figures described as government estimates; budget para 50(m) described as a commitment to arrange for landless people, not to settle claims; option D summary no longer says "some may consider". (Source wording; neutral phrasing.)
  13. 2026-10-10 — Option D costs: added costs to existing holders above the ceiling and to informal settlers (fee for ownership; no title in place on excluded land). (Balance: costs to both existing owners and landless/informal settlers are now named, from Land Act ss. 12A, 52B(4), 52C.)
  14. 2026-10-10 — Ministry names: land ministry given with its Nepali name only (its website's English title still shows the old name); irrigation ministry changed to the generic "federal ministry responsible for irrigation" with its name verified on moewri.gov.np. Removed the unused Kantipur 2083 Baisakh 28 source. (Naming rule: current official name only where verified on the ministry's own site.)
  15. 2026-10-11 — Published after independent source-by-source verification. Owner waived the separate sign-off review; conservative editorial defaults applied. Party positions not yet included (to be added for all House parties together). Nepali text awaiting native review. (Editorial decisions: Lapsed 2083 ordinance stated as listed inactive in both Houses’ registers; no provision resting on it presented as law; court annulment and review kept as reported; Commission printed totals and category sums both disclosed.)