12% paddy plantation in Nawalparasi East, 37% in Taplejung complete

By Our Correspondents,Kawasoti/Taplejung July 3: Only 12 per cent paddy plantation has been completed in Nawalparasi East by Sunday while in Taplejung, 37 per cent plantation has completed, according to our district correspondents.

In Nawalparasi East, the plantation had completed nearly 40 per cent during the review period last year.

Gopal Lamichhane, chief of Agriculture Knowledge Centre, said that due to the prolonged drought, the farmers were not able to plant paddy on time.

But now farmers have started planting thanks to rains that occurred over the past few days.

Now with the rains, the farmers are busy planting paddy. Due to the dependency on rain water for agriculture, paddy plantation was delayed this year compared to last year, he said.

He said that only 12 per cent of the total paddy fields of the district have been cultivated so far.

Chief Lamichhane said paddy plantation has completed in around 2,900 hectares of the total area of 22,816 hectares of paddy field in Nawalparasi East till date.

Even though there is delay in planting paddy in the district, it is estimated that plantation will be completed in around 80 per cent of paddy fields within mid-July.

He said that as water springs have started to burst especially in hilly areas and there is plenty of rain in the inner Madhes, 80 per cent of the rice can be planted by mid-July and 99 per cent by end of July, 2023.

Homanath Paudel, Ward Chairman of Devchuli Municipality-4, said the plantation in the district is moving smoothly after the rain.  

Similarly, so far, about 37 per cent of paddy plantation has been done in Taplejung district.

The paddy plantation activity starts from the second week of Jestha, but till now only 37 per cent of paddy plantation has been completed.

According to the Agriculture Knowledge Centre, Taplejung, about 5 per cent less plantation has been done this year compared to last year.

Plantation had been completed in around 42 per cent of the total paddy fields during the review period last year.

Binaya Maharjan, Agricultural Extension Officer of Agriculture Knowledge Centre, said that paddy is planted in 8,337 hectares of land in Taplejung.

According to Maharjan, paddy plantation has been affected due to floods and landslides this year.

Paddy plantation could not be done in some places due to the damage of irrigation canals. Due to the impact of floods and landslides, it is said that there was a delay in planting because the manpower had to be engaged in the management of families and housing.

Farmers of the district are cultivating local indigenous varieties of rice like Belguti, Bhangere and Atte.

In recent times, farmers have started getting attracted towards advanced varieties of paddy crops as well, said Maharjan.

According to him, some advanced varieties like Sukkha-1, Khumal-4 have been planted by the farmers.

Among the 61 wards of nine local levels of Taplejung, which is a Himalayan district, there is no paddy cultivation in some wards located in mountain region.