Nepal's Vegetable Seed Dependency High Despite Farming Area Expansion

Kathmandu. Although the area of vegetable farming has expanded in Nepal, dependency on seeds is still high. According to the Economic Survey 2082/83, dependency on vegetable seeds has been observed.

According to the Economic Survey, 2,980 tons of vegetable seeds are required annually for vegetable farming across 332,130 hectares nationwide. Only 23.5 percent of this is met by domestic production, the survey states.

By the end of Falgun in the current fiscal year 2082/83, 2.5 million seedlings of various seasonal vegetable crops have been produced at the government level. While 4.305 million seedlings were produced in the previous fiscal year 2081/82, 4 million seedlings are estimated to be produced in the current fiscal year.

By the end of Falgun, 969 kilograms of seeds of various vegetable crops have been produced in government farm centers. Last fiscal year, 2,507 kg of seeds were produced in government farm centers. 2,587 kg of seeds are estimated to be produced in the current fiscal year.