Though, the paddy plantation has decreased, albeit a little, compared to the last year, the plantation has been completed on 94.42 per cent – this year – of the total 1.37 million hectares of arable land across the country, claimed the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development (MoALD).
“Compared to the same period last year, paddy plantation this year has declined by 0.96 percentage point,” the ministry informed, adding that paddy plantation had been completed on 95.39 per cent of arable land by this time in the last fiscal year.
However, the country could still see significant drop in production due to delayed monsoon, shortage of chemical fertilizer, shrinking paddy fields and irregular rainfall in most of the paddy producing districts, according to the agriculture experts. “The transplantation period is almost over.”
A possible drop in production may hamper the government's target of achieving an economic growth of 8.5 per cent this fiscal year as the gross domestic product (GDP) largely depends on the performance of the agriculture sector – that contributes to one third of the total economy – and paddy production in particular as the paddy alone contributes to 6 per cent to the GDP. “Paddy production has over 20 per cent contribution to the total agricultural production.”
“Paddy plantation has been carried out across 257,938 hectares of arable land in Province 1, where paddy plantation was completed on 260,552 hectares last fiscal year,” the ministry said, the plantation area in Province 2 has however increased this year. Late monsoon benefitted the Tarai region this year, and increased the paddy plantation, albeit very less remarkably. Though, the heavy rainfall caused landslides and floods but due to the late monsoon, paddy plantation was started late in Province 2, where paddy plantation has been completed across 341,160 hectares of arable land, while in the same period last year it was completed on 340,658 hectares.
Similarly, the Province 3 and Gandaki Province witnessed paddy plantation across 111,784 hectares and 96,279 hectares of land, respectively. But, last year during the same period, paddy plantation was completed across 108,632 hectares of land in Province 3 and 104,894 hectares in Gandaki Province.
Likewise, paddy plantation in Province 5 has been completed on 286,572 hectares of land while in the same period last year plantation was completed on 292,038 hectares. Karnali Province witnessed paddy plantation on 36,910 hectares of land, while last year it stood at 37,767 hectares. Similarly, paddy plantation has been done on 164,639 hectares of land in Sudurpaschim Province, while in the same period of last fiscal it stood at 163,960 hectares.
According to the ministry, the paddy acreage shrank to 1.37 million hectares this year, a sizeable reduction from last year’s 1.55 million hectares. Rapid unplanned urbanisation and road construction have been attributed to the decline in the land available for paddy production. But arable land has been shrinking by around 2 per cent annually, according to Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations (UN).
In terms of geography, paddy plantation has been completed across 47,194 hectares of arable land in the High-hills, 318,244 hectares in Mid-hills and 929,843 hectares of arable land in the Tarai, the ministry claimed.
Nepal witnessed a record high paddy harvest of 5.61 million tonnes with an all-time high productivity of 3.8 tonnes per hectare, in the fiscal year 2018-19.
“Compared to the same period last year, paddy plantation this year has declined by 0.96 percentage point,” the ministry informed, adding that paddy plantation had been completed on 95.39 per cent of arable land by this time in the last fiscal year.
However, the country could still see significant drop in production due to delayed monsoon, shortage of chemical fertilizer, shrinking paddy fields and irregular rainfall in most of the paddy producing districts, according to the agriculture experts. “The transplantation period is almost over.”
A possible drop in production may hamper the government's target of achieving an economic growth of 8.5 per cent this fiscal year as the gross domestic product (GDP) largely depends on the performance of the agriculture sector – that contributes to one third of the total economy – and paddy production in particular as the paddy alone contributes to 6 per cent to the GDP. “Paddy production has over 20 per cent contribution to the total agricultural production.”
“Paddy plantation has been carried out across 257,938 hectares of arable land in Province 1, where paddy plantation was completed on 260,552 hectares last fiscal year,” the ministry said, the plantation area in Province 2 has however increased this year. Late monsoon benefitted the Tarai region this year, and increased the paddy plantation, albeit very less remarkably. Though, the heavy rainfall caused landslides and floods but due to the late monsoon, paddy plantation was started late in Province 2, where paddy plantation has been completed across 341,160 hectares of arable land, while in the same period last year it was completed on 340,658 hectares.
Similarly, the Province 3 and Gandaki Province witnessed paddy plantation across 111,784 hectares and 96,279 hectares of land, respectively. But, last year during the same period, paddy plantation was completed across 108,632 hectares of land in Province 3 and 104,894 hectares in Gandaki Province.
Likewise, paddy plantation in Province 5 has been completed on 286,572 hectares of land while in the same period last year plantation was completed on 292,038 hectares. Karnali Province witnessed paddy plantation on 36,910 hectares of land, while last year it stood at 37,767 hectares. Similarly, paddy plantation has been done on 164,639 hectares of land in Sudurpaschim Province, while in the same period of last fiscal it stood at 163,960 hectares.
According to the ministry, the paddy acreage shrank to 1.37 million hectares this year, a sizeable reduction from last year’s 1.55 million hectares. Rapid unplanned urbanisation and road construction have been attributed to the decline in the land available for paddy production. But arable land has been shrinking by around 2 per cent annually, according to Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations (UN).
In terms of geography, paddy plantation has been completed across 47,194 hectares of arable land in the High-hills, 318,244 hectares in Mid-hills and 929,843 hectares of arable land in the Tarai, the ministry claimed.
Nepal witnessed a record high paddy harvest of 5.61 million tonnes with an all-time high productivity of 3.8 tonnes per hectare, in the fiscal year 2018-19.
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