Chitwan, December 7
In the Chitwan district, rice production has decreased by 10 per cent this year. In paddy cultivation covering an area of 26,352 hectares, it yielded a total of 112,190 metric tons of rice.
A decline in paddy productivity was witnessed this year, with 4.26 metric tons of rice produced per hectare, as reported by Gyankendra, a local farmer.
Comparatively, last year’s paddy cultivation spanned 27,898 hectares, resulting in a production of 124,762 metric tons of rice. During that period, the productivity was 4.6 metric tons of rice per hectare. Umraj Aryal, the planning officer of the Chitwan District office, highlighted a decrease of 12,572 metric tons in paddy production this year compared to the previous year. Aryal attributed this decline to insufficient rain during the rice planting season and diseases affecting the rice crop.
He said, “Due to untimely rain, paddy was planted over a smaller area than before. Additionally, issues such as insects in the seeds and diseases during rice production contributed to the overall decrease in production.”
Aryal further pointed out that due to the lack of timely rains, planting could not be carried out in all areas of West Chitwan. He noted the presence of problems like black spots, neck rot, and smut during the paddy production process.
