Coffee is one of the major potential cash crops with lucrative export value grown in mid-hills of Nepal. Nepalese coffee production has suffered long by low productivity. Research was conducted from February to May, 2019 to analyze the factors affecting the productivity of coffee in Arghakhanchi and Gulmi districts of Nepal. These two districts were, purposively selected for this study taking account of comparative advantage and past studies recommendations for coffee sector. Altogether, 100 coffee growing households 50 from each, Arghakhanchi and Gulmi, were sampled by using multistage sampling technique. A pre-tested semi-structured interview schedule was used to collect the primary information while secondary information was collected reviewing the relevant publications. Ordinary Least Square (OLS) regression model was used to determine the factors affecting the productivity of coffee. The study revealed that the number of active family members involved in coffee production (0.000), adoption of income diversification through intercropping (0.005), training (0.072) and technical assistance (0.021) had positive and significant effect on coffee productivity. Encouraging the household to have coffee production as their primary occupation, providing technical assistance on rational land utilization and intercropping and strengthening the skill and knowledge of farmers through trainings could significantly support in increasing the productivity of coffee.

A field experiment was carried out in garlic (Allium sativum L.) in Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with four replications and five treatments in horticulture farm of Agriculture and Forestry University, Chitwan, Nepal to find out the efficacy of different combination of poultry manure and Urea as nitrogen fertilizers in its yield and yield attributes. The five treatments used for experiment were designed altering the recommended nitrogen dose through different sources i.e. (T1) 100% Urea, (T2) 7% Urea and 25% poultry manure, (T3) 50% Urea and 50% poultry manure, (T4) 25% Urea and 75% poultry manure and (T5) 100% poultry manure. The data regarding to the plant height, number of cloves, diameter of bulbs and fresh bulb weight were taken. In case of plant height, non-significant result was found between various treatments. The number of cloves was found highest in T5 (24.69±1.30), the diameter of bulb was found highest in T2 (3.93±0.39 cm), fresh bulb weight was found highest in T2 (14.32±0.39 gm) and total bulb yield was found highest in T2 (7.16±0.19 t/ha) which were significant at 5 % level of significance. The total bulb yield was found positively correlated (r=0.53) with diameter of bulb at 1 % level of significance. The benefit cost (B/C) ratio was found highest in T2 (1.54) and lowest in T3 (1.28). So 75% Urea and 25 % Poultry Manure stood one of the best combinations of nitrogen fertilizers providing higher economic yields.

Questionnaire based field survey was conducted with the purpose to access the production and market situation of mandarin orange among 120 farmers in Gulmi district. For the ease of the study, the sampled farmers were categorized according to their orchard land holding into small holders and commercial producers respectively. The average production of mandarin for smallholders and commercial producers were 0.987 tons and 3.645tons with productivity of 7.45 t/ha and 9.66 t/ha respectively. The average variable cost of production for small holder growers was found higher with NRs. 385581.16/ha. However, gross margin and B: C ratio was found higher in commercial producers which were NRs. 388040.43/ha and 2.59 respectively. Cobb-Douglas production function was used for the analysis of factor of production which showed human labor, irrigation cost, manure cost and transport cost was significant contributor in the return of mandarin. Pre-harvest contract was the most common marketing pattern with 60% of the producers following producer to contractor channel. The major production and marketing problems were lack of irrigation, lack of quality sapling, fruit drop. Low price offered to farmers, lack of processing activities and technical constraints in the study area.

A study was conducted from March to June 2020 to analyze the determinants of gross income from carp production in the Bara district of Nepal. Altogether, 90 carp producers, 45 each from Simraungadh and Pachrauta municipality in equal basis were sampled by using cluster sampling technique. Primary information was collected through a pre-tested semi-structured interview-based schedule while secondary information was collected reviewing the relevant publications. Data was entered in SPSS 25 and analyzed using STATA 12.1. The results  revealed that the cost of labor, cost of feed, assistances and services, and training had significant positive effect on gross income from carp prodcuiton. Furthermore, lack of quality inputs was identified as the most severe production problems whereas Dhalta to be given was recognized as the most severe marketing problems. Thus, encouraging the carp producer to manage the cost of labor and cost of feed deliberately, rationally providing the assistance and services and strengthening the skills and knowledge of producer through training could significantly increase gross income from carp production.

Nepalese economy is dependent on a slow performing agriculture sector with the majority of the population relying on subsistence farming. A study was conducted to access the supply chain, present marketing situation of rice subsector in Dang district during May-September 2017. For this study, rice traders were grouped into 5 categories Producers, seed suppliers, millers & traders, Wholesalers, and retailers. For the study, 105 respondents were selected which includes 75 rice producers, 5 seed suppliers, 5 millers & traders, 5 wholesalers and 15 retailers. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect data. Statistical Package of Social Sciences (SPSS) and Excel were used for data entry and analysis. The findings of the study revealed that about 94.70% of paddy farmers used improved seeds and only 5.30% farmers used hybrid seeds belongs to grain producers for only home consumption. Cooperatives were the major source of seed supplier for 90.90% of seed producers and 45.45% of marketed surplus grain producers and 57.14% of grain producers for only home consumption retained their own seeds for cultivation. The average benefit-cost (B: C) ratio of the paddy farmers was found to be 1.14:1 in the study area. Majority of the paddy selling farmers 87.88% sold their produce from the house and remaining 12.12% sold in the market. The market margin was higher in seeds supply chain NRs 27 per Kg and least was in grains supply chain NRs 25 per Kg. Similarly, producer share was higher in seeds supply chain (50.90%) and least was in grains supply chain, 44.44 percent. Int. J. Appl. Sci. Biotechnol. Vol 6(4): 319-326