KATHMANDU, July 22: The country recorded 72 percent of paddy seedlings plantation till the third week of the month July, which is 12 percent less compared to the same period of the last year.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development said that paddy plantation has been done in around 1 million hectares of land so far.
As per the reports collected by the ministry on Sunday, paddy plantation is happening in some parts of the country. Ministry's Information Officer Mahananda Joshi said paddy is usually grown on about 1.4 million hectares of land in the country.
Plantation completed in 50% of paddy fields in 14 districts
Among the provinces, Sudurpaschim is leading with 97 percent of its target already completed, covering around 171,000 hectares of land, while paddy plantation is completed in 88 percent of the target in Lumbini and Karnali provinces, according to Joshi.
He said the ministry has estimated that the paddy plantation is expected to reach 98 percent of the target by mid-August.
Spokesperson Joshi said the Tarai region is the most fertile and produces about 70 percent of the country’s total paddy, while the hilly regions contribute the remaining 30 percent.
During the previous Fiscal Year (FY) 2023/24, the country had witnessed a total rice production of 5.724 million metric tonnes.
Unfavorable weather conditions, natural disasters, excessive rainfall, and droughts create adversities for paddy plantation, deferring the plantation schedule in some areas.
According to the ministry, a 10 percent change in rice production can lead to about a 1 percent change in the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
This year, an estimated 6 million metric tonnes of rice will be produced, yielding approximately 3.5 million metric tons of edible rice, it has been said.
