KATHAMANDU: According to the latest update of the Ministry of Agricultural Development, paddy plantation has been carried out on 1,427,150 hectares of land across the country, which is 91.93 per cent of the total 1,552,469 hectares of arable land on which the crop is planted.

Plantation has been completed on 99.92 per cent or 58,112 hectares of land in the high hills, 97.67 per cent or 390,349 hectares of land in the mid-hills and 89.41 per cent or 978,689 hectares of land in the Tarai.

However, the country’s paddy output is likely to take a hit this fiscal year, firstly due to the delayed monsoon, followed by floods and landslides triggered by the incessant rainfall, which have mostly affected the districts in the Tarai belt.

The Tarai belt is considered the bread basket of the country as it has a major contribution to the overall paddy production.