LUMBINI: Paddy has been planted in over 72,000 hectares of land in Lumbini Province this year, according to data as of June 29.
So far, paddy plantation has been completed in 72,520 hectares—only 23.94 percent of the province’s total paddy cultivation area of 302,939 hectares. The total land suitable for paddy cultivation in Lumbini stands at 680,015 hectares.
Ram Prasad Pandey, Director General at the Directorate of Agricultural Development under the provincial Ministry of Agriculture, stated that paddy production in the province has been gradually increasing in recent years.
Planting progress varies by district. Pyuthan has recorded the highest completion rate at 82 percent, while Gulmi has the lowest at just five percent.
Kapilvastu and Rupandehi—two of the province’s major rice-producing districts—have covered 21.82 percent and 21.06 percent of their total rice cultivation areas, respectively. Rukum Purba (East) has the lowest plantation coverage at only 1.46 percent.
In numerical terms, of the 65,871 hectares intended for paddy cultivation in Kapilvastu, only 4,611 hectares have been planted.
In Dang, 6,328 hectares out of 37,225 have been planted, while Bardiya has completed plantation in 13,714 out of 50,150 hectares. Similarly, only 3,818 hectares out of 34,711 have been planted in Banke.
Planting activity in the hilly districts—such as Palpa, Arghakhanchi, Gulmi, and Rolpa—also remains relatively low. Last year, a total of 31,809 hectares were planted with paddy in the province.
Director General Pandey said the provincial government is implementing several programs to boost rice production, including seed production, technology demonstration, improved irrigation, Chaite rice promotion, and conservation of indigenous varieties.
Popular paddy varieties currently grown in the province include Sabitri, Sawa Mansuli, Hardinath-6, Radha-4, Sukha Dhan-1 and 2, Gangasagar-1 and 2, and Khumal Basmati. The use of traditional rice seeds such as Tilki, Simtharo, Kalanamak, Hansraj, Jhinuwa, and Manasara is also rising.
Rice cultivation in Lumbini contributes 56.15 percent to the province’s total food grain production and 43.87 percent to total consumable food grains.
Marking National Paddy Day, Provincial Agriculture Minister Dinesh Panthi said the government has launched a campaign to make Lumbini an ‘organic’ province, beginning with Rukum Purba.
Agriculture Secretary Yam Narayan Devkota emphasized that the government is committed to promoting rice, recognizing it not only as a major food crop but also as one deeply tied to the region’s culture and traditions.
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