At a press conference the Department of Agriculture held today on the eve of the 12th National Paddy Day, its Director General Dr Yuwakdhwaj GC said that although rice was cultivated on land two times more than other crops it was not bearing results because the farmers did not plant paddy suitable to the land and also were shunning the prospect of commercialization of the planted paddy.According to GC, 66 per cent of the total population of Nepal is dependent on agriculture and that 33 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) came from agricultural sector of which paddy contribution amounted to around 21 per cent.
During the conference, a preliminary estimate of the Agriculture Development Ministry was presented revealing that while the demand for rice grains stood at 3.2 million 32 thousand metric tonnes in the fiscal year 2071/72 at least 2.5 million 55 thousand metric tonnes were imported with the country facing deficiency of another 677 thousand metric tonnes.
Of the 55 per cent of the total land irrigated in Nepal is being used for plantation of 62 different types of paddy developed by the Agricultural Research Council.
The Agriculture Department's Crop Development Directorate has introduced a programme for promoting production of fine-grained and scented varieties of paddy in 20 districts from this fiscal year 2071/72 with an aim to make the country self-dependent in rice production.
The Paddy Day, which falls on 30 June this year, will be celebrated with the slogan 'Mechanization in Rice Farming, Minimization in Production Cost'. RSS
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