Kathmandu, 22 Jul: This year, approximately 72 percent of paddy planting has been completed across the country. Compared to the same period last year, this is 12 percent less. According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, paddy has been planted on around 1 million hectares of land nationwide. Ministry spokesperson Mahananda Joshi said that in total, paddy is cultivated on about 1.4 million hectares of land across the country.
Sudurpashchim Province has recorded the highest progress, with 97 percent of paddy planting completed, while Karnali and Lumbini provinces have achieved 88 percent completion, according to spokesperson Joshi. He further noted that if weather conditions remain favorable, around 98 percent of planting is expected to be completed by the final week of July (Shrawan). In Sudurpashchim Province alone, paddy has been planted on 171,000 hectares of land, the highest in terms of percentage. Similarly, Bagmati Province has completed 87 percent of planting, covering around 105,000 hectares.
By this time last year, about 84 percent of paddy planting had been completed. As per data collected by the ministry until Sunday, planting is still ongoing in some parts of the country.
According to spokesperson Joshi, the Terai region is considered most suitable for paddy cultivation in terms of both yield and cultivated area. “This region contributes to a 70 percent share of total paddy production due to its higher productivity. The hill regions contribute around 30 percent,” he explained.
In fiscal year 2080/81 (2023/24), Nepal produced 5,724,234 metric tons of paddy. Adverse weather, natural disasters, excessive rainfall, and drought have negatively affected planting, causing delays in some areas. However, due to the development of improved knowledge, skills, technology, and high-yielding seed varieties, an increase in production is anticipated.
The Ministry also noted that a fluctuation of about 10 percent in paddy production can result in a one percent change in the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). This year, it is estimated that 6 million metric tons of paddy will be produced domestically, from which around 3.5 million metric tons of edible rice will be generated, according to spokesperson Joshi.
