Sudurpaschim leads with 93% completion; overall coverage 8% behind last year
Around 59 percent of this season's paddy plantation has been completed across Nepal, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development.
As of July 13, rice has been planted on approximately 816,405 hectares of land-8 percent less than the same period last year, when coverage had reached about 67 percent.
Sudurpaschim Province leads the progress with 93 percent of its target met, covering 164,000 hectares. Karnali follows at 83 percent (64,000 hectares), and Lumbini at 73 percent (223,000 hectares).
Despite the lag, officials say plantation is ongoing and is expected to reach around 98 percent by mid-August.
Ministry spokesperson Mahananda Joshi noted that the Terai region contributes about 70 percent of total rice output, while the hilly region accounts for the remaining 30 percent.
During the last fiscal year 2080/81 (2023/24), Nepal recorded 5.724 million metric tonnes of total rice production. The country cultivates paddy on roughly 1.4 million hectares annually.
While weather-related challenges-such as floods, droughts, and erratic rainfall-often delay the plantation schedule, the ministry expects production to grow with the use of modern technology, improved seeds, and better farming practices.
This year, officials estimate a total output of 6 million metric tonnes of paddy, yielding about 3.5 million metric tonnes of edible rice. The ministry notes that a 10 percent change in rice production can influence the national GDP by about 1 percent.
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