KATHMANDU, AUGUST 15
Paddy cultivation across the country has reached 87 per cent as of August 11.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, paddy has been cultivated on 1.488 million hectares of land across seven provinces, compared to 94 per cent of the total paddy cultivated across 1.50 million hectares by August 13 in the last fiscal year.
This is still lower than the 90 per cent of paddy cultivated in the last fiscal year.
In Koshi Province, 94 per cent of the paddy has been cultivated as of August 10, equal to the total paddy cultivated during the same period last year. Paddy is cultivated across 340,829 hectares of land in Koshi and it has been cultivated across 320,207.17 hectares as of August 10.
Likewise, paddy has been cultivated across 271,589.5 hectares in Madhesh province, accounting for 68 per cent of the total 401,650 hectares of arable land as of August 4. Last year, paddy cultivation had reached 93 per cent in Madhesh Province over the same period.
In Bagmati Province, paddy cultivation has reached 88 per cent, while it was at 97 per cent during the same period last year. The province has so far cultivated paddy on 99,821 hectares out of the total 113,523 hectares of land that is allotted for paddy cultivation.
In Gandaki province, out of the total 90,514.3 hectares of arable land, paddy cultivation has been completed on 97,851 hectares of land so far (93 per cent), a drop from 97 per cent during the same period last year.
Lumbini has seen paddy cultivation on 288,971 hectares (93 per cent) out of the total 311,042 hectares, an increase from 90 per cent last year.
In Karnali, paddy cultivation has been completed on 44,505.57 hectares (98 per cent) of the total 45,387.12 hectares, a slight decrease from 99 per cent last year.
In Sudurpaschim, paddy plantation has been completed on 176,359.55 hectares (99 per cent) of a total of 177,767 hectares. Paddy cultivation had been completed in the province by the same period last year, according to the ministry.
According to Sabnam Shivakoti, joint secretary at the Agriculture and Livestock Business Promotion Division, plantations in the Madhesh Bagmati, and Gandaki provinces have been delayed due to the late onset of the monsoon.
With the monsoon becoming active alongside the distribution of fertilisers in the country, the percentage of paddy planting is gradually increasing. Paddy plantation in the mid-Tarai region is expected to reach 92 to 95 per cent in the near future.
Meanwhile, India has started to import tomatoes from Nepal. According to the division, around 30 metric tonnes of tomatoes have been exported to the southern neighbour as of August 13 from the Kakarbhitta and Bhairahawa border points. India has opened the import of vegetable crops like tomatoes, green peas, and green chilly among others for a certain period of time and included them in India's plant quarantine order list. The increase of such initiatives is expected to reduce the trade deficit, expand the market and provide good value for farmers.
A version of this article appears in the print on August 16, 2023, of The Himalayan Times.
