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Mukunda Bahadur Malla of Mallarani Rural Municipality-5, Sarangkot, has been cultivating mushrooms commercially, producing about 1,000 kilograms per month. He sells them in the market through his employees.

In addition to market sales, Malla receives a subsidy of Rs 50 per kilogram when he delivers mushrooms to the collection center operated by Mallarani Rural Municipality. The municipality provides production-based subsidies to farmers to support agricultural marketing. In the last quarter alone, Malla sold 702.5 kilograms of mushrooms through the collection center and received a subsidy of Rs 35,125.

Ramesh Kumar Shrestha, vice-chairperson of Mallarani Rural Municipality, said that the production-based subsidy is part of their broader policy to commercialize agriculture and promote self-employment in line with local needs and contexts.

“Business and jobs may not be available to everyone, but we have introduced this policy to make agriculture more commercial and self-sustaining,” he said. He expressed confidence that the initiative will help farmers become more competitive and lead the municipality toward self-reliance.

The municipality provides subsidies based on product type: Rs 10 per kg for vegetables, Rs 15 for pulses, Rs 15 for spices, Rs 15 for eggs, Rs 50 for ghee, and Rs 50 for mushrooms. The subsidy guidelines also allow for additional products to be included at any time.

By the third quarter of the current fiscal year, Mallarani Rural Municipality had distributed approximately Rs 350,000 in production-based subsidies. According to Moti Acharya, head of the agriculture branch, Rs 52,900 was distributed in the first quarter, Rs 89,000 in the second, and Rs 197,687 in the third.

Satyamohan Rana of Mallarani Rural Municipality-2, Kharindanda, said the new subsidy model has motivated farmers more than previous distribution-based systems. “The motivation to produce more has awakened in farmers,” he said. “There is competition among them to increase output.”

Meanwhile, Pyuthan Municipality has been providing subsidies on milk at Rs 10 per liter, said Giriraj Poudel, chief officer of the municipality’s Animal Service Branch. So far this fiscal year, farmers have collected and sold 71,020 liters of milk, earning a total subsidy of Rs 710,200. A total of 82 individuals have benefited from the program, with funds directly deposited into their bank accounts.

Since Pyuthan is a market-oriented urban area, the collected milk is delivered to nearby market hubs, said Bhoj Bahadur Basnet, chairperson of the Shivalaya Milk Collection Cooperative, Khaira.

The price of gold has dropped by Rs 100 per tola in the domestic market on Monday.

According to the Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers’ Association, the yellow metal is being traded at Rs 190, 600 per tola today. It was traded at Rs 190, 700 per tola on Sunday.

The price of silver, however, has increased by Rs 5 and is being traded at Rs 2, 150 per tola today.

The Birgunj Customs Office has collected revenue of Rs 65.5 billion from the import of petroleum products during the last 10 months in the current fiscal year. 

As shared, the Office has spent Rs 155. 94 billion for the import of five kinds of petro products in the reporting period. 

Of the total revenue received from the import, the petro products have the 46.26 percent contribution. 

Chief Customs Administrator at Birgunj Office Deepak Lamichhane said that the main source of customs revenue here is the import of petroleum products and vehicles. 

Likewise, the import of transport vehicles and their parts has collected revenue of Rs 15.24 billion. With this, the import of vehicles and parts has a total share of 10.93 percent on the revenue received from the customs duty. 

The Office has gathered revenue of Rs 5.25 billion from the iron and iron-made products. Likewise, it has collected revenue of Rs 4.55 billion from the import of machinery and parts. 

Lamichhane further informed that the revenue of Rs 3.37 billion was collected from the import of electric machinery, accessories and their parts. 

The Office has collected Rs 2.87 billion revenue from the import of all types of clothes in the first 10 months of the current fiscal year. 

Other revenue sources include Rs 2.23 billion from the import of tobacco and tobacco products and Rs 2.22 billion from cosmetics items. 

The price of gold has dropped by Rs 3, 000 per tola in the domestic market on Sunday.

According to the Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers’ Association, the yellow metal is being traded at Rs 190, 700 per tola today. It was traded at Rs 193, 700 per tola on Friday.

Similarly, the price of silver has dropped by 5 and is being traded at Rs 2, 150 per tola today.