KATHMANDU, July 15: Erratic and inadequate rainfall this year has taken a toll on paddy plantations heavily in Koshi and Madhesh provinces, with the regions witnessing over 20 percent decline in the plantations compared to last year.
The records with the Department of Agriculture (DoA) show that the plantation has declined 20.4 percent in Koshi Province as of Sunday. Similarly, Madhesh Province has also witnessed a decline of 27.7 percent plantations compared to the statistics of last year.
Overall, paddy plantation has reached 59 percent of the total cultivable area across the country. During the same period last year, the plantation was recorded at 67.6 percent. In absolute terms, plantation has been completed in 816,405 hectares against the total area of Rs 1,383,732 hectares used for rice production.
Nawalpur sees rise in winter paddy harvest
Prakash Kumar Sanjel, director general of the DoA, said that erratic rainfall this year has resulted in a heavy reduction in plantation in main rice producing areas. Sanjel added that the amount of rainfall in eastern Terai has been pretty low despite the region receiving the monsoon rain early this year.
According to the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology (DoHM), the country has received only 27 percent of the average rainfall in monsoon season. Out of the expected rainfall of 1,400 millimeters, only around 400 millimeters of downpour has taken place till date. The records of the DoHM show that Janakpur has received only 11 percent while Biratnagar has received only 15 percent of the expected rainfall in these regions.
The DoA records show that Sudurpashchim Province has completed the largest plantation area, while it is the least in Madhesh Province. The paddy plantation in Sudurpashchim Province has reached 93.1 percent out of the total 176,151 hectares of rice fields. Last year, the province had a plantation of 86 percent during the same period.
On the other hand, paddy plantation in Madesh Province has been recorded at only 33.8 percent of the total 372,645 hectares of cultivable land. In the same period last year, the plantation stood at 61.5 percent in the region.
Similarly, Koshi Province has completed 41.32 percent plantation out of the land size of 276,386 hectares and Bagmati Province has carried out 76.31 percent plantation out of 120,545 hectares of paddy producing land. Gandaki Province has recorded 66.99 percent plantation out of 94,182 hectares of rice fields, Lumbini with 73.7 percent of 302,939 hectares and Karnali Province with 83.23 percent plantations out of 40,884 hectares of land.
Nepal’s agriculture production is largely dependent on rain water due to poor irrigation systems in most of the parts of the country. As per the government records, paddy production contributes around seven percent to the country’s gross domestic product.
Nepal was estimated to have produced 5.955 million tons of paddies in the fiscal year 2024/25. The amount was 4.04 percent more compared to the produce of the previous fiscal year, despite a slight decline in land area under cultivation.
