Nepal, Aug. 31 -- The Terai should be alive with the sound of farmers tending their fields. Instead, silence hangs over abandoned crops, while chants of protest echo through the streets of Kathmandu. The contrast-empty fields and crowded streets-captures the deep crisis in Nepali agriculture. This is more than a protest. It is a warning about the survival of millions and the future of food security in Nepal.

On July 30, 2025, the government announced that subsidies for sugarcane farmers would be cut in half-from Rs 70 per quintal to Rs 35. Officials described it as a "policy adjustment." Farmers called it an insult. Fertilizer prices are soaring, seeds cost more than ever, and wages for labour keep rising. Cutting subsidies in such a cli...