By Our Correspondent
Dhangadhi, June 29: More than half of all paddy plantation of the season has been completed in Kailali and Kanchanpur districts, the food basket of Sudurpaschim State.
According to Agriculture Knowledge Centre of Kanchanpur, paddy plantation in 50.23 per cent of paddy fields (59,639 hectare) of the two districts has been completed so far.
Information officer of the centre, Haridatta Joshi, said that the proportion of paddy plantation this year was more as compared to the same period of last year.
Last year, paddy plantation was completed in 47 per cent of paddy cultivation area of the two districts by the National Paddy Day that falls on Ashar 15, he said.
The progress in paddy plantation this year has been attributed to early monsoon rain and addition of agriculture workers in villages due to COVID-19. People who returned to their homes from abroad and urban areas are also involved in paddy plantation.
Majority of farmers have already completed their paddy plantation. This year, paddy plantation completed earlier as there was no problem of water and timely preparation of sapling in nursery, said farmer Rohit Kumar Chaudhary from Ward No. 13 of Dhangadhi Sub-Metropolitan City. “Such early completion of paddy plantation was achieved after many years,” Chaudhary said.
Use of modern agriculture equipment has also contributed to early completion of paddy plantation, said another farmer Dinesh Chaudhary. “It has been very easy to prepare land for paddy plantation by using power tiller,” he said. “We completed paddy plantation work of the year on the 13th of Ashar which had been possible due to timely rainfalls,” he said.
Agricultural technician of the centre, Ramchandra Bhatta, said that paddy plantation had taken place in more paddy fields in Bhajani Municipality, Joshipur Gaunpalika and Kailari Gaunpalika of Kailali district.
According to Agriculture Knowledge Centre, 71,715 hectares of land in Kailali district is used for paddy plantation. Similarly, 48,375 hectares of land in Kanchanpur is used to grow paddy.

According to the centre, paddy produced in Kailali and Kanchanpur districts is sufficient to meet the demand of other food deficit districts of the State.
Meanwhile, according to Our Surkhet correspondent, around 35 per cent paddy plantation of the year has been completed in Karnali State. Farmers in most districts of Karnali are now busy in paddy plantation and some have already completed the plantation work.
State Agriculture Directorate of Karnali informed that around 35 per cent paddy plantation in the State has been completed so far.
Yam Bahadur Rana of the directorate informed that cent per cent plantation in Dolpa and 95 per cent in Jumla has been completed so far. Similarly, 10 per cent plantation has been completed in Surkhet and Dailekh districts, he said.
Similarly, 65 per cent plantation in Salyan, 60 per cent in Jajarkot, 27 per cent in Kalikot, 70 per cent in Jumla, 62 per cent each in Mugu and Rukum Paschim has been completed so far.
This year, timely monsoon rainfall has supported farmers in paddy plantation, Rana said. Most of the farmers of the state will complete paddy plantation by the end of Ashar, he added.