Rice production drops by seven percent in Kailali

Dhangadhi: Rice production in Kailali has decreased this year compared to the previous year. Last year, the district produced 246,500 metric tons of rice, but this year production has dropped to 229,245 metric tons.

According to Tek Bahadur Bista, Head of the Agricultural Knowledge Center Kailali, rice production has declined by 5 to 7 percent this year. “Due to insufficient rainfall, plantation could not be carried out on time, which affected overall production. The lack of electricity also prevented farmers from using pumps to draw water for irrigation,” Bista said. He added that production further declined because farmers were unable to obtain enough fertilizer after plantation.

“The decrease in production is mainly due to prolonged drought and a subsequent shortage of fertilizer,” he said. Out of the 93,000 hectares of cultivable land in Kailali, rice is cultivated on 72,500 hectares.

Meanwhile, the provincial office of the government-owned Food Management and Trade Company Limited has purchased 1,409 quintals of rice in the district. The company began purchasing rice last Wednesday and continued until Sunday through various collection centers in Mohanpur, Gauriganga, Tikapur, Satti, Bhajani, and Joshipur, according to Office Chief Deepak Thapa.

Thapa informed that the company, which began purchasing rice from Mohanpur, has now started procurement from all centers in the district. The company is buying coarse rice from farmers at the government-set minimum support price. The Nepal government has fixed the minimum support price for coarse rice at Rs. 3,463.81 per quintal this year.

For the first phase, the food company has set a purchase quota of 35,000 quintals for Kailali district. The initiative has provided significant relief to farmers, who previously had to sell their produce to private traders at low prices.