Absence of rain hampering maize crop

UDAYAPUR, March 4: Lack of rain has worried farmers growing maize in the hilly areas of Udayapur. The farmers started sowing maize seeds in the second week of February but with no rain as of yet, the drought is making it difficult for the seeds to germinate and grow to become maize plants. 

It is quite concerning that there is no rain even after the start of the maize cultivation season, said Gopal Magar, a farmer of Bhutar in Rautamai rural municipality-2.

In the past years, it would have already rained two to four times by now, which would make it easy to cultivate maize, but this time it has not rained yet. Furthermore, Ambar Bahadur Adhikari, a farmer of Bhalayadanda, Udayapurgadhi rural municipality, complains about not being able to sow maize seeds on time. The drought has made it difficult to sow maize seeds. 

Farmers in this region are dependent on rainwater for maize cultivation. Jeet Bahadur Rai of Triyuga Municipality-16 recalls a similar problem plaguing the maize farmers six years ago.

"Due to the drought there was no maize cultivation in the hilly areas of the district in the year 2074", he said. 

According to Agriculture Knowledge Centre, Udayapur, nearly 60 percent of the farmers in the three municipalities and four rural municipalities including Triyuga, Katari Belka and Chaudandigadhi Municipalities and Rautamai, Udayarpurgadhi, Limchungbung and Tapli Rural Municipalities are involved in maize cultivation.

Maize cultivation is being carried out in 18,400 hectares of land in the Udayapur district, said Mahesh Chaudhary, information officer of the center.