President calls for climate-resilient farming as transplantation lags - only 20.8% in Lumbini, just 0.5% in Banke
KATHMANDU, JUNE 29
Nepal is celebrating the 23rd National Paddy Day on Sunday with traditional rice planting, folk songs, and the customary feast of dahi-chiura (curd and beaten rice), even as delayed monsoon rains have slowed rice transplantation across much of the country.
Observed every year on Asar 15, the day marks the beginning of the peak rice planting season and honours agriculture, the backbone of Nepal's economy. Farmers traditionally plant rice in muddy fields while singing Asare folk songs, while people across the country celebrate by eating dahi-chiura, a meal believed to provide energy and keep the body cool during the strenuous planting season.
This year's National Paddy Day is being observed under the theme "Climate-smart technology for rice self-sufficiency and prosperity."
In a message on the occasion, President Ram Chandra Paudel stressed the need to modernise agriculture, discourage leaving arable land fallow, and make farming an attractive profession to reduce dependence on rice imports.
He said retaining the country's workforce by promoting commercial agriculture and improving irrigation facilities were essential for achieving food security and rice self-sufficiency. The President also urged the government and stakeholders to adopt climate-resilient farming practices to mitigate the growing impact of climate change on rice production.
Although the monsoon has become active in parts of the country, insufficient rainfall during the first half of Asar has delayed transplantation in many districts. Farmers in several areas have also complained of fertiliser shortages, though the Ministry of Agriculture, Forests and Environment maintains that adequate stocks are available.
In Lumbini Province, only 20.8 percent of the targeted 301,372 hectares of paddy fields had been transplanted by Sunday, according to the Provincial Directorate of Agriculture Development.
Among the province's 12 districts, Palpa has recorded the highest transplantation rate at 45 percent, followed by Rupandehi (43 percent), Gulmi (25.8 percent), and Nawalparasi East (24.5 percent). In contrast, Banke has reported the lowest progress, with transplantation completed on just 0.5 percent of its paddy fields.
Agriculture officials expect the pace of transplantation to accelerate as the monsoon strengthens across the country in the coming days.