45% of the country’s arable land is planted with paddy
Paddy plantation has been completed in approximately 45.03% of total cultivated fields, covering 623,104 hectares out of 1.38 million hectares across the country. Paddy plantation activities have increased by 29% in the last week, reaching 15.6% of fields by June 28 and slightly by 1.5% by July 7. Paddy plantation in Sudurpashchim Province has reached 43.5 per cent, with the highest completion in Karnali and Gandaki Provinces, and 82.8 per cent in total fields by July 6. Paddy plantation in Karnali and Gandaki Provinces is 71.6% and 55.5% respectively, with the lowest completion rate in Madhes Province at 25.08% of the total 372,645 hectares. Similarly, 51.9 percent of the paddy plantations in Bagmati Province and 52.1% of those in Lumbini Province have been finished thus far.
Lumbini Province has 302,939 hectares of paddy cultivation, whereas Bagmati Province has 120,545 hectares. In Koshi Province, over 29.5% of the paddy fields have been converted to paddy plantations. In Koshi Province, paddy is grown on about 276,387 hectares. As of July 7, rice planting has grown in Lumbini, Gandaki, and Bagmati provinces, but it has decreased in four provinces—Sudurpashchim, Karnali, Koshi, and Madhes—when compared to the same time previous year. 86 percent of the paddy plantations in Sudurpaschim Province, 78 percent in Karnali, 44 percent in Lumbini, 49.7 percent in Gandaki, 41 percent in Bagmati, 25.5% in Madhes, and 34.4% in Koshi Province were finished as of July 7 of last year.
