Suryodaya Municipality has decided to eliminate the minimum support price for tea and will request the federal government to regulate the pricing. The municipal assembly has amended seven laws, including those related to education, health, traffic management, and cooperatives. Additionally, the municipality resolved to bring tea gardens under local government ownership and to construct a modern waste management center. 27 Chaitra, Ilam.
According to Mayor Durgakumar Baral, the “Quality Tea Production Standards Procedures–2075” mandated that industries pay farmers a minimum of NPR 40 per kilogram. However, following demands from both farmers and industry players for open market price determination, the 18th municipal assembly in its third meeting amended this law.
Mayor Baral stated that the assembly revised seven laws that were complicated and caused inconvenience to citizens. To address issues in the tea sector, the municipality collected suggestions from farmers and industry stakeholders across all 14 wards. A dedicated tea branch will be established within the municipality to tackle these challenges.
The municipality has allocated a budget of NPR 200,000 per ward for road repairs damaged by last year’s natural disasters across all 14 wards. Furthermore, Ward No. 5 Chairperson Urgen Bamjan noted that the municipality plans to build a modern waste management center with an investment of approximately NPR 220 million, jointly funded by the Swiss government, the provincial government, and the local government.
