KATHMANDU: Paddy plantation has slowed down this year compared to the same period last year, according to the latest national statistics.
As of Monday, July 6, only 32.38 percent of the total paddy-plantable land has been planted across the country. In the same period last year, plantation had already reached around 45 percent.
According to data, paddy cultivation is estimated across 1.37 million hectares nationwide, of which 443,595.09 hectares have been planted so far this year.
Among the seven provinces, Sudurpaschim Province has recorded the highest progress with 57.9 percent plantation completed, followed by Gandaki Province with 41.0 percent, Karnali Province with 40.5 percent, Lumbini Province with 37.3 percent, Bagmati Province with 33.2 percent, and Koshi Province with 31.5 percent.
In contrast, Madhesh Province has recorded the lowest progress with only 15.6 percent of plantation completed.
The data further shows that plantation rates have declined in most provinces compared to last year. By the same period last year, Sudurpaschim had reached 82.8 percent and Karnali 71.7 percent.
Similarly, Bagmati (51.9 percent), Gandaki (55.6 percent), and Lumbini (52.1 percent) provinces also showed significantly higher progress last year compared to this year’s figures.
However, Koshi Province has shown a slight improvement, rising from 29.5 percent last year to 31.5 percent this year.
Officials attribute the overall slowdown to varying local conditions affecting agricultural activity across different regions.
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