LALITPUR: Nearly 50 percent of this year’s paddy plantation has been completed across the country, according to the Department of Agriculture.
The Department said paddy has been transplanted on 682,000 hectares of land out of the targeted 1.37 million hectares for the current planting season.
Director General Rajendra Koirala said that while around 60 percent of paddy transplantation had been completed by the same period last fiscal year, progress this year stands at 50 percent, making it about 10 percentage points behind last year’s pace.
Among the provinces, Sudurpaschim has recorded the highest level of paddy transplantation at 87 percent, followed by Gandaki at 65.9 percent, Karnali at 60 percent, Lumbini at 59 percent, and Bagmati at 57.1 percent.
The pace has been slower in Madhesh and Koshi provinces, where transplantation has reached 32.7 percent and 32 percent, respectively.
The Department expects paddy transplantation to accelerate in the coming week as rainfall has increased across much of the country. It added that planting is likely to continue smoothly, provided there are no major disruptions caused by floods, landslides, or other natural disasters.
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