TANAHUN: Farmers across Tanahun district are hurrying to cultivate ‘Chaite’ paddy as the monsoon approaches.
Planting of rain-fed paddy has already begun in areas where two-season paddy cultivation is not feasible. Paddy farming is widespread throughout most parts of the district.
‘Chaite’ paddy cultivation is particularly prominent in irrigated areas including Byas, Bhanu, Bhimad, Shuklagandaki Municipality, Myagde, Aanbukhaireni, Devghat, Bandipur, Rishing, and Ghiring Rural Municipalities.
Among these, Bhanu, Byas, Myagde, and Aanbukhaireni have the largest areas dedicated to ‘Chaite’ paddy.
According to Kiran Pariyar, Information and Crop Protection Officer at the Agricultural Knowledge Center, paddy is grown on 9,464 hectares in the district, with ‘Chaite’ paddy covering 1,802 hectares.
With the onset of the monsoon, farmers are busy preparing fields for ‘Chaite’ paddy. Once planting of ‘Chaite’ paddy is underway, farmers quickly move to sow Asare paddy (rainy season paddy). There is also a surge in the storage of ‘Chaite’ paddy harvested from fields.
Officer Pariyar noted that in rain-fed areas, planting has already started with the arrival of the monsoon. He added that Tanahun, being a hilly district, produced 37,942 metric tons of paddy in the fiscal year 2080/81, including 8,704 metric tons of ‘Chaite’ paddy.
The ongoing ‘Chaite’ paddy promotion program has encouraged many farmers to take up its cultivation. Though data for the current fiscal year is still being collected, production is expected to rise due to improved irrigation management in some areas.
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