Nepal's Rice Production to Increase: USDA

Rice production in Nepal is set to increase to 3 million tonnes this crop year to June, projects a report published by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA). The USDA in its latest Rice Outlook has revised Nepal's rice production from 2.97 million tonnes to 3 million tonnes. The US federal executive department responsible for developing and executing federal government policy on farming, agriculture, forestry, and food has listed Nepal in its list of major global rice producers. The list of fourty-eight rice producers includes India, China, Japan, Thailand, Indonesia, United States and Bangladesh.

 

USDA did not give specific reason regarding the increase of rice production in Nepal. In October, the United Nation's Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) projected rise in rice production for Nepal in 2013. However, the two forecasts differed by 1.6 million tonnes, with FAO estimating Nepal's rice production to increase to 4.6 million tonnes last year. According to the UN agency, timely and sufficient monsoon downpour contributed to the country's rice output, increasing by 2 per cent compared to the previous year. Nepal, after having a bumper harvest of 5.07 million tonnes in 2011, witnessed fall in rice production by 11.3 per cent to 4.5 million tonnes in 2012, largely due to erratic rainfall and a shortage of fertilisers. Despite the rise in production, FAO estimated that Nepal will import 400,000 tonnes of rice in 2013.

 

Nepal government is also hopeful of good paddy harvest. According to data from Ministry of Agriculture Development, paddy transplantation has been successful on 97 per cent of the total paddy fields across the country last year. Paddy is regarded as the main crop of Nepal. About 55 per cent of the cultivated land of the country is estimated to be covered with paddy.