Kathmandu: Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation, Pampha Bhusal has said that a chemical fertilizer factory should be set up using hydropower.

In a discussion held at the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development today, she said that all industries and factories should be run using hydropower for the long-term and also for the benefit of the nation.

She said, "What is consumed as energy in the country should be the energy produced from hydropower." She emphasized that the industrialists who invest through the Investment Board thinking of profit should also encourage the consumption of electric energy. Minister Bhusal said, “We patriotic citizens should put the interests of the nation first. I humbly request all to find profit and trade within this.”

Stressing the need for setting up a factory using hydropower, she said, "We are ready to provide electricity as per the need. We are ready to provide electricity by charging only the operating cost of the hydropower project.” Minister Bhusal assured that the cost of fertilizer production would not have to be high only because of the cost of energy.

Emphasizing the need for using domestically-produced energy rather than gas purchased with dollars, Minister Bhusal said, "Before we decide to set up an industry using gas based on immediate cost, we need to think carefully about future generations, sustainable development goals and our commitment to the world."

Recalling that the Investment Board Nepal was established for the economic development of the country, she said that we should not go for the technology discouraged by other countries by bypassing clean energy power and rather increase the use of renewable and clean energy in the world.

Minister for Agriculture and Livestock Development Mahendra Ray Yadav stressed the need for making the country self-reliant in fertilizer and said that everyone should cooperate to solve the national problem of fertilizer shortage. He said that they would be self-reliant if fertilizer was produced from hydro electricity.

He said, "We have to think of setting up fertilizer factories in all the seven provinces. We have to move forward to set up factories with a capacity of 200,000 metric tons in each province." He stressed the need for reassuring the farmers by setting up fertilizer factories in Nepal as soon as possible.