Kathmandu, June 30

The late monsoon coupled with inadequate rainfall is likely to affect paddy plantation this year.

Farmers are in a hurry to begin paddy plantation, however due to lack of enough rainfall only 11.64 per cent of paddy plantation has been completed so far.

Meanwhile, by this time last year around 15 per cent paddy plantation had been done across the country. This may have an effect on paddy plantation that will ultimately affect the annual production capacity of paddy, said Yubak Dhoj GC, secretary at the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development.

While addressing the 16th National Paddy Day celebration today, Secretary GC said that the late monsoon is going to affect paddy plantation this year. “Most of the fields in some of the areas are still dry.

In some regions neither has there been rainfall nor do farmers have access to irrigation facility,” he said. “In such a situation it is obvious that there will be less plantation.” He, meanwhile, said this situation has arisen as the country is yet to implement disaster management system.

According to GC, during the dry season dry seeded rice can be planted. “Dry rice plantation is one of the solutions during the dry season. However, there is less practice of planting dry seeded paddy in our country,” he added. GC further said that either farmers are not aware of it or they do not have access to dry seeded rice.

Thus, there is a need to promote and expand the practice of planting dry seeded paddy, he added.

Amidst this the ministry has set a target to produce seven million tonnes of paddy in the next fiscal year. The target, however, seems a bit far-fetched. Secretary GC further claimed that the ministry is doing its best to increase the production and productivity of paddy to replace rice import.

“The agriculture ministry alone will not be able to do enough on this front. The ministry wants support from all the stakeholders,” he added during the event organised by Nepal Agricultural Research Council to mark 16th National Paddy Day.

Meanwhile, Agriculture Minister Chakrapani Khanal celebrated the National Paddy Day in Rajapur Municipality of Bardiya district this year. The main motto of this year’s National Paddy Day is the promotion of technology and machinery to reduce rice import.