CHITWAN:  Incessant rains have inflicted 30 percent loss to the expected paddy crops output in Chitwan.

The rainfall with wind storm caused damages to harvest-ready paddy plantation. Only 20 percent of the paddy planted was harvested in the district before the unseasonal rains ruined the crops.

Remaining 80 percent of the paddy was in the field. Some portions of ripe paddy were freshly cut and dispersed in the field for dryness while some are yet to be cut. The rains have ruined all the crops.

According to Planning Officer of Agriculture Knowledge Center Bharatpur Umaraj Aryal, almost 50 percent of the paddy planted in east Chitwan, including Madi was already harvested. Only 10 percent paddy cultivated in Bharatpur metropolis was harvested according to the preliminary assessment.

Out of the ripe paddy to be harvested in Bharatpur metropolis, 70 percent was in standing condition and around 20 percent were freshly cut. Rains have presumably caused damages to over 50 percent portion of the harvest-ready paddy in Bharatpur.

Likewise, around 30 percent of the paddy planted in east Chitwan and Madi were cut and 20 percent of the paddy planted was yet to be cut. The incessant rain had submerged the ready-to-harvest paddy here.

This year Chitwan district alone saw the plantation of paddy in 27,305 hectares of land. Last year paddy was cultivated in 27,305 hectares and total output was 103,416 metric tons.

If previous data is something to go by, the paddy production per hectare was 3.8 metric tons.