Paddy production likely to set new record this year

Kathmandu, Dec. 17: Paddy production is likely to increase further this year and set a new record.

According to a preliminary estimate of the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, nearly 6 million tonnes of paddy will be produced this year. It will be the highest amount of paddy ever produced in Nepal. 

About 5.724 million tonnes of paddy was produced last year. Interestingly, paddy production surged this year although massive floods and landslides at the end of September damaged thousands of hectares of paddy fields in many districts, mostly in Bagmati Province.  

The Ministry has almost finished collecting data from all seven provinces and it is finalising it.

"It seems 200,000 tonnes more paddy than last year’s will be produced this year which will be 4 per cent higher than last year's yield," said Dr. Hari Bahadur K.C., spokesperson for the Ministry.

Earlier in the fiscal year 2022/23, 5.486 million tonnes of rice was produced while in 2021/22, around 5.13 million tonnes was produced and in 2020/21, 5.621 million tonnes of paddy was produced.  

Dr. K.C. said that as per the paddy production statistics received from all provinces, the productivity of paddy would also be higher than last year.

A significant increase in paddy production was likely even though plantation area shrank by 22,000 hectares this year compared to last year.

According to the Ministry, paddy was planted in around 1.41 million hectares of land this year while it was planted in around 1.43 million hectares of land last year. It seems that the productivity of paddy will increase by over 2 per cent per hectare this year while it was 3.98 per cent a year ago.

Dr. K.C. said that based on the report of provinces, a significant increase in the production of paddy in Madhes Province, the bread basket of the country, and in Lumbini Province is the main reason behind the higher paddy yield this year.

According to the Ministry of Land Management, Agriculture and Cooperative of the Madhes Province, around 1.452 million tonnes of paddy is likely to be produced in 367,000 hectares of paddy fields in the province this year. This will be 8.56 per cent higher than last year's production. 

Around 1.337 million tonnes of paddy was produced in the province last year.

Similarly, around 1.466 million tonnes of paddy is likely to be produced in Koshi Province, around 1.364 million tonnes in Lumbini, 504,871 tonnes in Bagmati Province, around 379,032 tonnes in Gandaki Province, around 146,667 tonnes in Karnali Province and 636,211 tonnes in Sudurpashchim Province.

He said that favourable rainfall before and after the plantation and the easy availability of seeds and fertilisers are the main reasons behind the rise in production and productivity this year. Due to the adoption of modern technology in agriculture, paddy production has been increasing over the past few years.

He said that the yield is high although paddy production in 20 districts was affected by excessive and heavy rains in September last week as the floods and landslides swept away or inundated the paddy planted in 58,476 hectares of land. The Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development estimated damage worth more than Rs. 6 billion in the agricultural and livestock sectors.

An increase in paddy production contributes to the national Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Among the major food crops in the country, paddy ranks first in terms of area, followed by maize. Rice alone contributes about 15 per cent to the agricultural GDP and 5 per cent to the overall GDP.