 Chairperson of 35th AFU Regional Conference for Asia and Pacific Excellencies, Director General of AFU, Assistant Director General of AFU Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific distinguished delegates, ladies and gentlemen. Participating as head of the delegates in this 35th AFU Regional Conference for Asia and the Pacific, I have the honor to make a brief statement on agriculture and food security status, priorities, collaboration and emerging issues of Nepal. Agriculture sector is central to food security, livelihood and employment and contribute around 27 percent of the countries GDP. This sector implies about 66 percent of its labor force that implies improvement in this sector will have broader effect on food security and poverty reduction. In Nepal, more than 80 percent of population resides in rural areas characterizing higher incidence of poverty, low-level productivity, hidden unemployment and poor insecurity. Since last decade, remittances coming from foreign employment, mainly of the Nepalese youth, has been major contributor to GDP. However, it is now severely affected due to the impacts of COVID-19 pandemic, forcing migrant youths returning home. Ladies and gentlemen, as you may be aware that Nepal has recently gone through political restructuring, adopting three-tier system of governance, that is federal, provincial and local-level governments. Among these, local-level governments are on driving seat, made responsible for agriculture development programs, agriculture actions and service delivery and ensuring constitutional rights of right to food and food sovereignty. This agriculture sector is moving towards commercialization mode and competing with other sectors for labor and investment. However, the speed of commercialization is slow. Rural connection with urban centers, digital world and high-end consumers has opened new avenues for agriculture, commercialization and diversification in the country. However, this sector is facing numerous challenges such as high impact of climate change characterized by water scarcity, increasing frequency of adverse climatic events and outbreak of new insect-based diseases which have a strong negative impact on small-order farming and livelihood. In addition to above, the consequences of recent COVID-19 pandemic have hit the sector hard. Input and output supply chains and extension delivery systems are completely disrupted, which will have negative impact on food and nutrition security among rural and urban people in days to come. Large number of youth migrants are returning home. Now, the challenge is how to engage them in agriculture sector and create opportunities for them. Ladies and gentlemen, Nepal has prioritized agriculture in different policies and programs with a special focus on building resilience against climate change, food and nutrition security, robust plastic extension delivery system with digital technologies and promotion of climate smart agriculture technologies. Global community stories, value-added facilities, cost of production and women's treasury reduction technologies, increased values and efficiency and e-marketing. In addition to these, increased agriculture production, rural employment and income through reconstitution of agriculture under post-pandemic situation to maintain food security and absorb returning youth, including women who are focused. Implementation of all these priorities to achieve national growth of agriculture development and food security of plastic, institutional and support mechanism is inviscid. Integrated efforts, investment and intervention from all stakeholders are reliable pathways to this end. We need to reinvent integrated agriculture development approaches, strategies in context of digitalization. Global connectivity to address the challenges posed by climate change and ongoing and unforeseen future pandemic situations. A single agency cannot bear all resources, expertise and institutions required to address the gamut of challenges in agriculture development and harness emerging opportunities. Thus, we need more coherent, integrated and synergistic approaches, strategies and programs in this regard. We appreciate FEO Director General's hand-in-hand initiative, which has been already started and being piloted. It will be an important avenue in days ahead to address the challenges. Chairperson, Nepal being active member of FEO has been receiving continuous technical support in the area of agriculture and rural development through policy and strategy development, technical assistance and advisory services in the implementation of various projects and programs. In future, we need more concentrated and collaborated efforts in the field of building resilience against climate change, establishment of robust plastic extension system at newly established local levels of current governance system, food and nutrition security and food safety, post-harvest loss reduction, ill-farming and women-farmer friendly mechanization technologies, achievement of sustainable development goals and zero hunger challenges and invention for the future farmers. Similarly, networking of public, private and community institutions will help to share knowledge, innovation and experiences to cope with new emerging challenges in agriculture and food systems in Asia-Pacific region. Chairperson, I would like to conclude that Nepal is focusing on a strategy and approaches to ensure the food and nutrition security rights of citizens build resilience against shocks and vulnerabilities at national and local level. Sustainable commercialization of agriculture through national efforts as well as regional and international cooperation. Towards this, we fully support the agenda set forth by the 35th regional conference directed towards addressing the above issues. Excellencies, distinguished participants, ladies and gentlemen, before I end, allow me to express on behalf of the government of Nepal, Minister of Agriculture and Livestock Development, our very successful conference. Thank you for your kind attention.