“We are surprised by such a fast drop in food grain production even in major producing districts in Tarai due to rapid population growth and growing human settlements in farmland,” Dr Hari Dahal, spokesperson of the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives (MoAC), said on Wednesday.[break]
According to Dahal, 10 Tarai districts are among 43 food-deficit districts across the country.
“It is a worrisome fact that food-surplus districts are fast turning into food-deficit districts, posing serious threat to food security. If the trend continues, all Tarai districts would face food insecurity after five years,” Dahal told media persons.
A fresh data compiled by the MoAC shows that food sufficiency in 24 Tarai districts has declined continuously over the past seven years. These districts altogether recorded surplus of just 150,000 tons, down by more than 70 percent from surplus of over 500,000 tons recorded seven years ago.
Dahal said leading cereal crop producers of the past like Sunsari, Saptari, Siraha, Dhanusa, Mahottari, Sarlahi, Rautahat, Chitwan, Dang and Kailali are already facing food-deficit. Food surplus in other leading producers Jhapa, Morang, Bara, Parsa, Nawalparasi, Banke, Bardia, Kapilvastu, Rupandehi and Kanchanpur is also declining.
Nepal imported 350,000 tons of food grains during fiscal year 2009/10. Nepal´s average food grains import for the past five years before 2009/10 was 250,000 tons a year. The government had estimated food deficit of 316,000 tons across the country in 2009/10.
Buoyed by 11 percent rise in cereal crop production in 2009/10, the government expects food surplus of 10,000 to 15,000 tons in 2010/11. The government has put paddy, maize, wheat, millet, barley and buckwheat under cereal crop category.
The MoCA has projected rise in production of all crops except jute, tobacco and black cardamom.
According to MoCA´s projections released on Wednesday, total cereal production increased to 8.61 million tons during 2010/11, up from 7.76 million tons recorded in the last fiscal year. Maize and paddy production increased by 10.85 percent and 11.45 percent respectively to 4.46 million tons and 2.06 million tons respectively compared to the figures of last year.
Production of wheat increased by 12 percent to 1.74 million tons, while barley production rose by 10 percent to 30,000 tons. Production of millet and buckwheat increased to 303,000 tons and 8,841 tons respectively.
MoAC officials have attributed the rise in farm harvest to favorable monsoon, increasing use of improved seeds, easy availability of chemical fertilizers and lower rates of crop damage due to natural disasters.
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