Kathmandu, Aug. 25 -- The Supreme Court has ordered the government to develop a system to ensure dairy farmers are paid regularly, in line with a tripartite agreement reached between the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, dairy entrepreneurs and farmers in June 2024.

The court issued the full text of its verdict last week in a case filed against the government and private dairy companies. In December 2024, a division bench had ruled on a writ petition filed by advocates Punya Prasad Khatiwada and Dipak Bikram Mishra.

When the petition was filed in March 2024, dairy farmers were owed around Rs7 billion. Of the total, private dairy companies represented by the Dairy Industry Association and the Nepal Dairy Association owed...