Chumchaur Jyulo: World’s highest place to grow paddy

By Netra Shahi ,Jumla May 11:A Paddy Plantation Festival was marked by planting Marsi paddy in Chumchaur Jyulo of Jumla district.

Chumchaur Jyulo is the highest place in the world where rice is grown.  

Patarasi Rural Municipality of Jumla organised the festival to promote local Marsi rice species. The local-level representatives, the local administration, farmers, agricultural experts and relevant local bodies observed the festival held in the village at an altitude of around 2,850 metres above sea level in Patarasi Rural Municipality Ward No. 3.

The District Agricultural Development Office, in coordination with the local government, hosted the Paddy Plantation Festival this year in Chumchaur Jyulo. 

To promote Jumli Marsi rice, the government initiated planting the paddy in Chumchaur Jyulo a few years ago.

According to Balak Devkota, the head of the Agriculture Development Office in Jumla, this year's festival was organised to underscore the significance of Kali Marsi rice (black Marsi) and to encourage farmers to cultivate it.

Although the importance of Marsi rice has increased in the market, there is a notable lack of enthusiasm among the farmers to cultivate it, said Devkota.

The festival was organised to boost the morale of farmers and raise awareness about the market demand, he added. 

Gobinda Bahadur Rawat, chairman of ward No.3 of the rural municipality, informed that the Paddy Planting Festival is organised every year to increase the production of local Jumli Marsi rice.

Jai Kumar Ghimire, the Chief District Officer of Jumla, said, "Alongside language, literature, and civilisation, Jumli Marsi holds a unique place in Jumla, so Jumli Marsi should be promoted in the national and international markets."

Ghimire said that it is the government's responsibility to enhance and safeguard the production of Marsi rice, which is synonymous with the identity of Jumla.

There is a growing demand for Marsi rice. Regardless of the quantity produced, there is no issue in selling it. Traders have been visiting every village in Jumla to purchase Marsi rice.

Recently, the Marsi rice business has expanded beyond the district through branding efforts. Marsi rice packaging facilities have also been established, and the product is being sold beyond the local area by establishing a Marsi rice gift house.

Chandannath Finance Limited of Jumla alone has been selling Marsi rice worth millions of rupees. In Jumla, the price of Marsi rice is Rs. 170 per kilogram, whereas it is sold at Rs. 250 to Rs. 300 per kilogram in the markets of Nepal.  Bhim Prakash Sharma, the former Minister of Land Management and Agricultural Cooperatives of Karnali Province, visited the area and planted paddy in the last fiscal year as an endeavour to promote local Jumli Marsi rice.