Paddy output in Sudurpaschim: Area under paddy cultivation declines, productivity up

Dodhara Chandani (Kanchanpur): Although the area under cultivation has decreased in recent years in the Sudurpaschim Province, the productivity has increased.

It is said that the production has increased even though the area under main cereal crops decreased, as farmers started improving farming methods and became oriented towards commercialism.

According to the statistics of the Sudurpaschim Agriculture Development Directorate, paddy was cultivated on 183,317 hectares in the province in fiscal year 2079/80 BS, and the production was 648,924 metric tonnes. In that financial year, the rice productivity in this province was 3.54.

Similarly, wheat was cultivated on an area of 144,582 hectares and the total production was 331,092 metric tonnes in the Fiscal Year 2079/80. The wheat productivity in that fiscal year was 2.29.

Maize was cultivated on an area of 50,607 hectares and the total production was 104,250 metric tonnes. The productivity of maize was 2.06. Likewise, the productivity of millet produced on 117,112 hectares was 1.14.

Although the production area decreased in the fiscal year 2080/81 BS, productivity and paddy production increased. In that fiscal year, even though the rice cultivation area decreased by 4,242 hectares, production and productivity increased.

Paddy cultivation was done over 179,046 hectares in that fiscal year and the total production was 672,928 metric tonnes compared to the previous fiscal year. The productivity is 3.76.