Officials at the Ministry of Agriculture and Co-operatives (MoAC) said plantation has been recorded in over 938,308 hectares of the total of 1.55 million hectares of paddy fields till Friday. [break]
“We are encouraged to see increase in paddy plantation area by 20 percentage points over the week. The plantation area has increased significantly in the Tarai districts,” said Hem Raj Regmi, under secretary at MoAC.
Total area of plantation increased to 59 percent in eastern region, 64 percent in central region and 55 percent in western region.
Till last week, plantation was recorded in only 25 percent, 39 percent and 44 percent of the total paddy fields recorded in eastern, central and western region respectively. Similarly, total plantation has climbed to 52 percent and 48 percent of total paddy fields in mid-western and far-western regions respectively.
However, major producing districts like Saptari, Siraha, Kailali and Banke have seen plantation in the range of 28 percent to 40 percent, with Saptari reporting lowest plantation of 28 percent.
Tarai, which covers around 71 percent of total paddy fields across the country, reported paddy plantation at 602,297 hectares or 55 percent of the total field till Friday. Similarly, plantation area in Hill and Mountain areas reached to 69 percent and 75 percent of the total paddy fields respectively.
Most of the food deficit districts such as Dolpa, Mugu, Humla, Jumla, Pyuthan, Kalikot, Solukhumbu, Bajura, Bajhang and Darchula have seen encouraging progress in plantation this season. These districts have reported plantation in about 70 percent to cent percent of the total paddy fields.
Of the total 3.1 million hectares of agriculture land across the country, only 1.1 hectares enjoy relative irrigation facilities. Only 400,000 hectares of rice fields across the country have irrigation facilities throughout the year.
Related story
Paddy transplantation lower in eastern tarai
-1200x560-1771928761.webp)
