Mustard Production Declines in Chitwan

Chitwan, March 15: Mustard production in Chitwan has declined this year, with both total output and productivity per hectare dropping compared to last year.

According to Nirmal Poudel, an agricultural economist at the Agricultural Development Office, productivity has decreased from 1.31 metric tons per hectare last year to 1.01 metric tons this year.

Similarly, the district produced 18,565 metric tons of mustard last year, but production has fallen to 14,315 metric tons this year.

Mustard is currently cultivated on 14,173 hectares of land across the district.

Officials say unseasonal rainfall affected the crop, forcing many farmers to plant mustard seedlings for a second time. In addition, fog and frost during the flowering stage also damaged the crop, leading to lower production and productivity.

Chitwan remains one of the country’s major mustard-producing districts, and the number of farmers engaged in mustard farming has increased in recent years.