KATHMANDU, Nov 27: Nepal’s import of paddy and rice soared more than 46 percent due to impacts of floods triggered by the incessant rains and uneven rainfall that took place during monsoon season this year.
The records with the Department of Customs (DoC) show that Nepal imported paddy and rice worth Rs 10.18 billion in the first four months of the current fiscal year (FY), which was 46.26 percent more than the amount imported in the same period of the last FY. During mid-July and mid-November of FY 2024/25, the country’s import of the cereal stood at Rs 6.96 billion.
In terms of quantity, there was an increase of 57.51 percent in imports of paddy and rice. Compared to import of 117,578 tons of the agro product in the review period last year, the country purchased 185,198 tons this year.
Paddy production declines in Bhojpur amid erratic weather
According to officials at the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development (MoALD), the import of rice and paddy increased mainly due to the drop in harvest and damages caused by the rains on storage of the agro products.
Information Officer of the MoALD Mahananda Joshi said the yield of the staple crops could decline by around three percent. According to him, Nepal could see a decline of about 300 tons of rice this year compared to 5.955 million tons last year.
Nepal has been facing the impacts of climate change for the past few years. In the mean monsoon season this year, erratic and inadequate rainfall took a heavy toll on paddy plantations in Koshi and Madhesh provinces. In addition, incessant rainfall on October 3-4 caused additional damages to the crops ready for harvesting. According to the MoALD, farmers sustained heavy loss of large quantities of harvested paddy kept for drying in the sun in the field due to water-logging and rain.
In the last FY too, the agrarian country witnessed a sharp rise in import of both paddy and rice. Of the total import expense of Rs 31.18 billion, Rs 20.35 billion was meant for paddy purchase while remaining Rs 10.83 billion was for rice import. With this year’s expected production drop, rice imports are likely to rise further, said the sector’s expert.
According to former Agriculture Secretary Yogendra Kumar Karki, productivity may drop by around 10 percent this year due to factors like delayed transplantation and impacts of incessant rainfall, among others.
Basmati rice made up a major portion of the imports. Import of the expensive rice of this type increased to 22,088 tons from 21,632 tons. Nepal imported 68,700 tons of basmati rice worth Rs 7.52 billion in FY 2024/25, up from 46,800 tons worth Rs 6.23 billion in FY 2023/24.
