Biratnagar, July 12

Only around 21 per cent paddy plantation was completed by mid-July in the eastern region of the country.

According to Regional Agriculture Directorate, Dhankuta, the volume of paddy planted was not as expected due to the lack of rain. The directorate added that 36.1 per cent of paddy was planted last year within the mid-July.

Senior crops conservation officer Arun Ghimire at the directorate said that the farmers could not plant paddy due to the lack of water. It is said that the good time for paddy plantation was up to mid-August in the Tarai region. But the paddy plantation could be carried out till the end of August.

Ghimire said that less paddy was planted in comparison to past years in the Tarai.

According to the directorate, paddy was planed in around 96,400 hectare land in the east. Irrigation facility is available in in 267,000 hectare land in the eastern region.