KATHMANDU, JULY 07

Paddy plantation has been completed on nearly 27 per cent of the total 362,625 hectares of arable land used for paddy plantation across the country as of July 6, according to the latest update provided by the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development (MoALD) today.

Compared to the same period of last fiscal, this is a decline by more than 13 percentage points. As per MoALD, paddy plantation had been completed on 40.04 per cent of arable land in the same period of the previous fiscal.

As per the MoALD, the delayed onset of monsoon in Madhes Province, Gandaki Province and Lumbini Province has resulted in below-average rainfall this year. However, as the monsoon advances, the area experiencing rainfall will gradually expand. Until August 1, the expected rainfall coverage in these provinces is relatively low. The ministry currently projects that the initial estimate for this year's rainfall will be around the historical average of approximately 100 per cent.

As per the report compiled by the MoALD, paddy plantation has been completed on 48.97 per cent of arable land or 83,972 hectares in Sudurpaschim Province - the highest among all the provinces.

Surprisingly plantation has been carried out on only 9.53 per cent of arable land or 33, 773 hectares in Madhes Province, which is the lowest among the provinces.

Likewise, in Bagmati Province and Gandaki Province, paddy plantation has been completed on 34,807 hectares and 18,361 hectares of land, respectively.

The data further show that paddy plantation in Lumbini Province has been completed on 73,386 hectares of land during review period.

Meanwhile, paddy plantation has been completed on 17,435 hectares in Karnali Province so far this year.

Paddy production alone has over 20 per cent contribution to the total agricultural production of Nepal, while the agriculture sector has around 25 per cent contribution to the national gross domestic product.

A version of this article appears in the print on July 8, 2023, of The Himalayan Times.