Kathmandu, Jan 3: The Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development has said that there is an expectation of an increase in paddy production this year. Issuing a press release on Friday, the ministry stated that there will be a significant rise in paddy production compared to last year.
The initial estimate for total paddy production in the current fiscal year 2081/82 BS was 59.55 million metric tons, which represents a 4.04 percent increase from the previous year.
Despite a decrease in the area allocated to paddy cultivation, improved productivity has led to the overall increase in production, the ministry said. “In the current fiscal year, a total area of 1.42 million hectares was used for planting paddy during both the spring and summer seasons. This marks a 1.28% decrease from the previous fiscal year,” the ministry reported. “The average productivity has reached 4.19 metric tons per hectare, the highest recorded so far.”
The ministry attributed the increase in production to an early onset of monsoon, timely distribution of chemical fertilizers, and improved seeds to farmers.
Provincially, paddy production has seen an increase in Koshi, Madhesh, Lumbini, and Sudurpaschim provinces, while a decrease was observed in the remaining three provinces – Karnali, Gandaki and Bagmati. Specifically, a decline in rice cultivation in Rukum-West has led to reduced production in the entire Karnali province. #paddy #rice #nepal #agriculture
