By Our Correspondent
Dhangadhi, Jan. 9: Paddy production has decreased significantly in Sudurpashchim Province this year as compared to last year.
Paddy production has almost halved in the current fiscal year due to offseason rains in October and subsequent floods in Kailali and Kanchanpur.
These two districts of the province produce more paddies. The produce here also supports other districts.

According to the Provincial Agriculture Directorate, Rajpur Doti, only 387,937 tonnes of paddy has been produced this year. This is 42.69 per cent less than last year. Last year, about 676,931 tonnes of paddy was produced in the province.
Yagya Raj Joshi, chief of the Provincial Agriculture Directorate, said that the production and productivity of paddy has declined this year due to the floods in Kailali and Kanchanpur.

"In the Sudurpashchim, Kailali and Kanchanpur produce most paddy," he said. "However, floods in both the districts severely damaged the paddy crop." In the current fiscal year, the average productivity of paddy in Sudurpashchim is only 2.01 tonnes per hectare. Per hectare productivity of paddy was 3.66 tonnes last year.
While paddy was cultivated in 184,723 hectares of land in the last fiscal year, paddy was cultivated in 193,148 hectares of land this year.

According to the Directorate, the productivity of paddy in Kailali was estimated to be at 4.5 tonnes per hectare this year. However, the productivity of paddy stands at only 1.53 tonnes per hectare.
Around 231,674 tonnes or more than half of the paddy was damaged by off-season rains and floods in Kailali, according to the Directorate. Only 119,440 tonnes of paddy has been produced after the rains and floods damaged the paddy fields in Kailali.

Paddy was cultivated in 87,025 hectares of land in the district this year.
Similarly, paddy has been cultivated in 48,496 hectares of land where 123,990 tonnes of paddy has been produced in Kanchanpur.

Paddy productivity in the district was projected to be 4 tonnes per hectare this year. However, due to floods, productivity has come down to 2.56 tonnes per hectare. The floods have damaged 69,994 tonnes of paddy.
Paddy production in the seven hilly districts of the province is not much different this year compared to last year.

Around 12,180 tonnes of paddy has been produced in Bajura, 20,326 tonnes in Bajhang, 12,096 tonnes in Darchula and 35,785 tonnes in Achham this year. Similarly, about 30,100 tonnes of paddy has been produced in Doti, 16,020 tonnes in Baitadi and 18,000 tonnes in Dadeldhura.

According to the Directorate, there is a possibility of food shortage this year as Kailali district, which produces the largest quantity of paddy, recorded the biggest loss.
A total of 2.5 million people in the province need around 450,000 to 500,000 tonnes of food annually.