SARLAHI: Sarlahi district has recorded only seven percent paddy plantation to date while the time for the plantation is getting over.

It is due to scant rainfall here, according to the Chief of Agriculture Knowledge Centre, Devanand Yadav.

He added that the paddy plantation is done only in the area with irrigation facilities.

The areas having irrigation facilities from Bagmati, and Manusmara canals planted paddy.

Yadav, however, said if adequate rainfall occurs once, the plantation would begin in the remaining fields.

Farmers are bound to depend on monsoon rains to conduct paddy plantation in most of the cultivable lands out of 43,500 hectares in the district.

A local farmer Bhola Yadav informed that the rice seedling prepared early in Jestha (May 15- June 13) dried in the field due to a long drought and they had to prepare rice seedlings for the second time. It evidently led to the delayed plantation.

“Although the rice seedling is ready now, adequate rainfall is not in sight,” he shared the plight.

Another farmer Rajiv Mahato viewed some farmers were using pump sets to draw groundwater and irrigate for paddy plantation, but most of the farmers are waiting for sufficient rains at least for once.

He further rued how the farmers in the area having no electricity could use pump set to draw groundwater and do plantation.

However, the brief rainfall occurred so far has benefitted the maize and sugarcane crops in the district.