CHITWAN: Chaite paddy planting is currently in full swing in Chitwan District, with farmers increasingly adopting machines instead of traditional planting methods in recent years.
According to the Program Implementation Unit in Chitwan under the Prime Minister Agriculture Modernization Project, mechanization in Chaite rice cultivation has increased following the introduction of modern rice planting machines.
Agriculture Officer Kashiram Pandey said that although it was initially difficult to explain the importance of the machines and train farmers to use them, farmers have now started seeking out the technology themselves.
“In the early years, agricultural staff had to visit fields to teach farmers how to prepare seedlings and operate the machines. Now many farmers have learned the process, and the demand for machines is increasing,” he said.
Pandey said farmers are becoming more interested in the technology as it reduces production costs while increasing output. “To increase production and reduce costs, mechanization in agriculture is essential,” he said. “If farming becomes mechanized, production costs can be reduced by about 30 to 40 percent.”
Prakash Shrestha, a farmer from Devnagar of Bharatpur Metropolitan City-6, said he is planting rice on four bighas of land using machines and two bighas through traditional methods for the first time this year.
“Labor costs are lower when using machines. Now we will see how much production increases,” he said.
According to Shrestha, seedlings must be prepared differently for machine planting by placing seeds in plastic trays. He said he was encouraged to adopt the technology after seeing videos of machine-based rice planting on social media.
Pandey said farmers in the Devnagar area were attracted to the technology after the Advanced Seed Center received a 50 percent subsidy under the agricultural modernization program.
Last fiscal year, Chaite rice was planted using machines on about 300 hectares of land in the district, and this year the area has expanded by an additional 98 hectares.
“When rice is planted using machines, seed costs and labor costs decrease while production increases,” Pandey said. “Traditionally, about two kilograms of seed are required to plant one kaththa of land, but only about 500 grams are needed when using machines.”
Machine-based rice planting began in Chitwan in fiscal year 2077/78 using four-wheeled transplanters. At present, 13 such machines are in operation in the district. The office said farmers received a 50 percent subsidy this year to purchase six machines.
Chaite rice is cultivated on around 9,000 hectares annually in Chitwan. Pandey added that the promotion program has benefited farmers even outside the designated rice zone command areas.
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