DHANGADI, May 15: Wheat production in the far-western region of the country has increased year-on-year by 11.6 percent.
Wheat is the second major food crop in the region after paddy.
According to Narhari Prasad Ghimire, a director at the Regional Directorate of Agriculture (Far-Western Region), wheat is cultivated in nine districts of the region. “A total of 304,634 tons of wheat was produced in 146,189 hectares of land this year, compared to 272,000 tons in 145,000 hectares last year,” he said, adding, “Production increased this year due to favorable climate and use of improved seeds.”
Ghimire further added that productivity was 2.1 per hectares in the current fiscal year, 1.9 tons in 2015/16 and 2 tons in 2014/15.
Date compiled by the directorate shows that 147,072 tons of wheat was produced in 2014/2015, while the production increased to 294,144 tons in the last fiscal year.
Ghimire told Republica that production would have gone even higher if it were not for the hailstorms.
“Local farmers have realized that they should use improved seeds for better yields. Many farmers used improved seed varieties like WK-1204, Gautam and Dhaulagiri this year,” he added.
Kailali ranked first in production volume of wheat, while Bajura ranked last. Production has increased by 39 percent in Darchula, 11.2 percent in Doti, 10.6 percent in Bajhang, 35 percent in Dadeldhura, 11 percent in Achham, 50 percent in Baitadi, 19 percent in Bajura, 3.5 percent in Kanchanpur and 5 percent in Kailali, according to the directorate.
In the current fiscal year, wheat was cultivated in 51,253 hectares of land in Kanchanpur, 5,965 hectares in Darchula, 14,280 hectares in Doti, 10,982 hectares in Bajhang, and 8,725 hectares in Dadeldhura. Likewise, wheat farming was done in 14,580 hectares in Achham, 30,900 hectares in Baitadi and 4,975 hectares in Bajura.
Wheat production is lower in seven hilly districts of the region as farmers there have to depend on rainfall for irrigation, according to Tej Bahadur Bohora, a resident of Koteli, Dadeldhura.
Likewise, Kamal Kathariya, a farmer of Manuwa-3 of Kailali, said that the use of improved seeds and new technology, among others, helped him to produce more wheat in this fiscal year.
50,000 metric tons of wheat required to address shortage
