Baglung Rice Planting Affected by Insufficient Rainfall

Baglung. Rice planting in Baglung has been affected by insufficient rainfall even by mid-Asar. While 60 percent of planting was completed by this time last year, only 38 percent has been planted this year by mid-Asar.

Although planting has taken place in some areas of western Baglung, most of the fields around the district headquarters are still dry. According to Kumar Pun Magar, chief of the District Agriculture Knowledge Center, more than half of the area should have been planted by this time, but due to insufficient rainfall, rice has only been planted in 38 percent of the area.

Chief Pun Magar informed that out of a total of 5,710 hectares of land for paddy cultivation in Baglung, only 2,170 hectares have been planted by mid-Asar. He stated that planting has only occurred in fields with access to rivers and irrigation facilities.

"More than half of the area should have been planted by now, but due to lack of rain, water sources have not sprung up. There is very little water in the streams, so irrigation management is not good," said Chief Pun Magar. "Planting has only happened in fields with regular access to streams, rivers, and irrigation. Planting has not been possible elsewhere."

Although planting has occurred in some areas of Nisikhola, Gallkot, and Dhorpatan, there is no sign of planting in areas like Baglung Municipality, Badigad, Jaimini, and Bareng. Farmer Tulaprasad Poudel of Nisikhola Rural Municipality-4 said that although he planted in the last week of Jestha, the planted paddy seedlings have started to dry up due to lack of rain. Due to insufficient rainfall for three to four months, even the maize planted in the fields is on the verge of drying up, he said.

He said, "What has the sky done? So much time has passed, and it hasn't rained yet. We planted at the beginning, and now the paddy seedlings have died, and the fields are becoming empty. We planted hoping it would rain, but not a single drop has fallen yet."

Pushkar Ghimire of Badigad Rural Municipality-5 said that the paddy seeds kept in the nursery are on the verge of dying due to the long dry spell. He said that it is difficult to plant due to the very low amount of water in the streams and rivers due to lack of rain. Ghimire said that planting cannot be done without good rainfall. The Agriculture Knowledge Center stated that Baglung produces an annual average of 20,600 metric tons of rice.