CHITWAN: Paddy production in Chitwan’s designated rice zone is expected to increase by 5,000 metric tonnes to 50,000 tonnes in the current fiscal year 2026/27, according to preliminary crop assessments.
The rice zone produced 45,000 metric tonnes of paddy last fiscal year from 8,500 hectares of land, said Sauraj Bishwakarma, information officer at the National Agriculture Modernization Programme Implementation Unit in Bharatpur.
“Paddy production in the rice zone has increased. Based on crop-cutting assessments, we estimate that output will reach 50,000 metric tonnes this year,” Bishwakarma said.
The designated rice zone covers parts of three municipalities in eastern Chitwan: Ratnanagar, Khairahani, and Rapti.
Farmers in the area cultivate several rice varieties, including Hardinath, Sawa Mansuli, Jhurre Sawa, Gorakhnath, Radhachar, and Sabitri.
The programme covers paddy-growing areas in wards 5–7 and 9–13 of Khairahani Municipality, wards 1–4 and 6 of Rapti Municipality, and wards 3–9 of Ratnanagar Municipality. Agricultural groups and farms are also participating in the programme. Meanwhile, an assessment of paddy production across Chitwan district is still underway.
Nirmal Poudel, an agricultural economist at the Agriculture Development Office in Chitwan, said crop-cutting assessments were being conducted to determine the district’s overall paddy output.
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