Paddy transplantation completed on 38.6% of fields

KATHMANDU: Paddy transplantation has been completed in 38.6% of paddy fields across the country.

According to the Department of Agriculture, transplantation has been completed in 539,766 hectares across all seven provinces as of Sunday.

Farmers cultivate paddy in around 1,398,273 hectares. Paddy is Nepal’s main crop, contributing around 7% to GDP.

Sudurpashchim Province (54.2%) has recorded the highest transplantation among the seven provinces, followed by Gandaki (49.7%), Karnali (47.5%), Lumbini (44.4%), Koshi (34.4%), Bagmati (25.5%) and Madhesh (25.5%).

Madhesh is the largest paddy producer in the country, with paddy planted in 383,150 hectares of land in the province. Karnali has the smallest paddy acreage, with 41,904 hectares.

Nepal’s paddy production increased by 4.37% to 5.72 million tons in 2023/24.