Paddy production in Jhapa, often known as the ´rice bowl of the east´, is likely to decline this year due to inadequate rainfall during the plantation season.

The production, which is declining every year due to reduction in plantation area, is expected to fall further due to adverse weather condition.

Though District Agricultural Development Office (DADO) Jhapa has not projected paddy production figures for this year, officials say production will go down by around 35 tons. "Paddy production will go down by 32-35 tons this year due to shrinking plantation area and adverse weather condition," Salik Bhattarai, technician with DADO Jhapa, told Republica.

According to officials, monsoon started late and ended late this year. This means paddy fields received inadequate rainfall.

Jhapa received a total of 942 milliliter of rainfall in the last three months, compared to 1,163.4 milliliter rainfall in the corresponding period of the last year, according to weathermen.

“There used to be sufficient rainfall during monsoon in the previous years. This year paddy fields remained barren in many places due to inadequate rainfall," Tara Bir Raya, a farmer of Khudunabaari, told Republica. “I do not have much expectation from my paddy crop this year.”

Paddy farming has been down in 82,000 hectares this year. Last year, farmers in the district had planted paddy in 88,000 hectares. The district had produced 357,800 tons of paddy the last year.

"As paddy fields lack irrigation facility, we have no option but to wait for monsoon. But there was not sufficient rainfall in this monsoon," Sher Bahadur Bista, a farmer from Budhabare, told Republica. "I think my investment will not pay dividend this year."

Source - http://www.myrepublica.com/