KATHMANDU: Around 72 percent of paddy plantation has been completed across the country so far this year—marking a 12 percent decline compared to the same period last year, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development.
Ministry Information Officer Mahananda Joshi stated that plantation has been completed on approximately 1 million hectares of farmland. The country has an estimated total of 1.4 million hectares of land suitable for paddy cultivation.
Unless disrupted by adverse weather conditions, the Ministry expects plantation to reach 98 percent by the final week of Shrawan.
Sudurpaschim Province leads with 97 percent completion, with 171,000 hectares already planted. Karnali and Lumbini Provinces follow with 88 percent each, while Bagmati Province has completed 87 percent of plantation, covering 105,000 hectares.
At this time last year, the national paddy plantation stood at 84 percent. The Ministry’s latest data, collected as of Sunday, shows that plantation is still ongoing in some areas of the country.
Joshi emphasized the significance of the Terai region in national paddy production, noting that the region accounts for about 70 percent of the total output, with the remaining 30 percent contributed by the hilly regions.
In fiscal year 2080/81, Nepal produced 5,724,234 metric tons of paddy. However, erratic weather patterns, natural disasters, and both heavy and insufficient rainfall have negatively impacted this year’s plantation progress in some locations.
Despite the delays, Joshi expressed optimism that the use of improved seed varieties, agricultural technologies, and increased farmer knowledge will help increase yields.
The Ministry also warned that a 10 percent drop in paddy production could result in a 1 percent decrease in the country’s gross domestic product (GDP). Out of the 6 million metric tons of paddy projected for this year, approximately 3.5 million metric tons is expected to be processed into edible rice.
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