Agricultural development and family planning.

Agricultural development in Nepal must be better organized as well as integrated with family planning in order to meet goals set forth in the government Development Plans. Previous plans especially the Fourth Plan fell short because of unrealistic production goals and poor coordination between different levels of government especially at the district level. To reorganize development efforts the king has formed a Development Council which he will head. The coming year will be designated the agricultural year. New goals will be to achieve balanced development including horticultural development in the hills cereals in the Terai and livestock in the mountains. The Fifth Development Plan will aim for equitable distribution maximum utilization of labor and regional coordination. The target growth in GDP will be 5% per year. Family planning cannot be considered merely a matter of birth control but must be integrated into social and economic development. Rapid population growth is an intensifier of other problems of development. As has been proposed in Sri Lanka and India farmers who do not maintain productivity should be deprived of land ownership.