KATHMANDU: The area of land occupied by food and other crops in Madhesh Province has decreased in the first six months of the current fiscal year, according to the semi-annual economic activity report published by Nepal Rastra Bank.
Compared to the same period last fiscal year, the cultivated land for food and other crops declined by 4.5 percent, dropping to 888,000 hectares by the end of Poush (mid-January).
While there was a rise in the cultivation of certain crops—such as millet, barley, sugarcane, and potatoes—the land under major cereal crops saw a decline.
Paddy cultivation dropped by 2.37 percent to 374,117 hectares, wheat by 2.88 percent to 191,113 hectares, and maize by 2.85 percent to 52,725 hectares.
On the other hand, the area used for vegetables and horticulture increased by 8.88 percent, reaching 67,156 hectares during the same period. Last fiscal year, the growth in this sector had reached 10.32 percent.
Among the districts, Mahottari recorded the highest land area under vegetable and horticultural farming, accounting for 22.71 percent of the total, while Rautahat had the lowest, with just 0.30 percent.
The land under fruit and spice cultivation also saw a 9.33 percent increase, totaling 56,275 hectares. In terms of overall agricultural output—which includes food crops, vegetables, horticulture, and spices—production rose by 1.17 percent to 4.75 million metric tons.
This stands in contrast to the 5.01 percent decline recorded in the same period last year.
Bara district contributed the most to food and other crop production, accounting for 17.01 percent, whereas Rautahat contributed the least, with only 8.28 percent.
In the case of vegetables and horticulture, Mahottari again led with a 21.34 percent share, while Siraha had the smallest share at 6.51 percent. Meanwhile, Saptari dominated the fruit and spice sector with 61.35 percent of the total production.
Despite the drop in cultivated area, some crop yields improved. Paddy production rose by 10.7 percent, maize by 34.85 percent, and wheat by 2.28 percent. However, the output of sugarcane fell by 16.82 percent, potatoes by 7.3 percent, tobacco by 12.56 percent, and pulses by a significant 41.39 percent.
Alongside crops, livestock and dairy production in the province also showed growth. During the review period, milk production increased by 5.27 percent to 392,734 liters, meat production rose by 1.71 percent to 89,218 metric tons, and egg production climbed by 2.20 percent to 53.78 million units.
Leather production increased by 0.48 percent, and wool production rose by 0.95 percent to 2,817 kilograms. Parsa had the highest share of total milk production, at 31.26 percent, while Dhanusha had the lowest at 5.23 percent.
Irrigated land in the province also expanded. The total irrigated area grew by 2.41 percent, reaching 333,551 hectares. Of this, land irrigated through rivers increased by 4.31 percent to 113,683 hectares, canal irrigation expanded by 1.93 percent to 166,736 hectares, and land irrigated by borewells reached 45,700 hectares.
During the same period, the flow of agricultural loans from banks and financial institutions also rose significantly. Agricultural loans increased by 10.35 percent, reaching a total of Rs 64.62 billion. Agriculture accounted for 13.23 percent of the total credit disbursed in the province. Sarlahi district received the highest proportion of agricultural loans, at 16 percent, while Saptari received the lowest, at just 8 percent.
Furthermore, concessional loans in the province totaled Rs 10.64 billion during the review period. Dhanusha received the largest share, amounting to Rs 1.8 billion or 17 percent of the total, while Saptari received the smallest share, with Rs 580 million or 5 percent.
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