KATHMANDU, Jan 3 (NNN-XINHUA) – Nepal’s padi production decreased by 8.74 percent to 5.13 million tonnes in 2021, a five-year low, mainly due to damage caused by unseasonal rains in Oct, the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, said.
Padi production was 5.15 million tonnes, 5.61 million tonnes, 5.55 million tonnes and 5.62 million tonnes in 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020, respectively, all higher than the output in 2021, according to the ministry.
The fall came despite a rise in areas cultivated for padi, and productivity in the country declined by 8.61 percent to 3.47 tonnes per hectare, a four-year low, the ministry said.
Padi was cultivated in 1,477,378 hectares of land in Nepal in 2021, about 4,000 hectares more than the previous year.
Unseasonal rains in Oct inundated padi fields, at a time when they were ready for harvest, and caused massive losses, in the provinces of Lumbini and Sudurpaschim in particular, which contributed to a downfall in overall padi production in 2021, the ministry said.
Ram Krishna Regmi, chief statistician at the ministry, said that, the untimely rainfalls were the biggest reason behind falling padi production, and less padi production could affect the country’s food security, given that most people in the country eat rice.
“We may have to increase the import of rice,” he said.
Padi production matters to Nepal, as it contributes around 50 percent to total cereal production in the country, while its agricultural sector, accounts for some 26 percent of gross domestic product, according to government agencies.– NNN-XINHUA
