Crop damage increases by 15% in Kailali and Kanchanpur

Dhangadhi: In Kailali and Kanchanpur districts, more than 15% crops have been damaged. The rains after the end of the monsoon have caused great damage to the paddy crops. It has been raining continuously since Sunday.

In Kailali, 40 percent paddy is still in the field, while in Kanchanpur, 30 percent paddy is yet to be harvested, said Yagya Raj Joshi, head of the Agriculture Development Directorate at the Ministry of Land Management, Agriculture and Cooperatives.

Although the damage could not be ascertained in Kailali, it is estimated that 10 to 15 percent paddy was damaged in Kanchanpur. Not only Kailali and Kanchanpur districts in the Terai of the far-western region but also seven hilly districts have been affected by the rains. According to the Meteorological Department, Dadeldhura, Far-West has received 166.2 mm of rain in the last 24 hours.

According to Dipayal Agriculture Development Directorate, paddy is cultivated in 181,000 hectares in the Far-West. Out of that, paddy is being cultivated in 72,000 hectares in Kailali and 48,475 hectares in Kanchanpur. In Far-West, 670,503 metric tonnes of paddy was produced last year. More than half of the production of 340,000 metric tons of paddy was produced in Kailali. He said that 60 percent of paddy in Kailali and 70 percent in Kanchanpur has been kept safely at home.