Dhanushadham, Aug 11: Almost 77 per cent of paddy seedlings transplantation was completed until the first week of August in the eight districts of Madesh Province, the Agricultural Development Directorate confirmed. Directorate’s Director Jitendra Yadav said that Bara district recorded the highest progress in paddy seedlings transplantation with 95 per cent while Mahottarai has the least progress (61.5 per cent).
Among the districts, Parsa reported the progress with 92 percent of its paddy fields transplanted, followed by Rautahat at 85 percent, Sarlahi at 75 percent, and Dhanusha, Saptari and Siraha each at 70 percent. The paddy transplantation activities gained momentum since the rainfall began. Of the total 372,645 hectares of land allocated for paddy cultivation, paddy seedlings transplantation was completed in 285,335 hectares of land so far.
Yadav shared that paddy seedlings transplantation is expected to reach around 80 per cent of the total target this year, resulting in reduced paddy production. According to Director Yadav, paddy production could decrease by some 27 per cent this year due to delayed seedling transplantation.
The recent rainfall that was almost regular over the past weeks has brought much-needed relief to farmers across the province. Many fields had developed fissures due to prolonged dryness and the rains have not only irrigated land, but also brought relief and joy to farmers. Prior to the rains, farmers were relying heavily on deep tube wells for irrigation, a costly and challenging alternative, particularly in areas with unreliable electricity supply.
