Scant rainfall frets farmers in Madhesh

KATHMANDU: At a time when the farmers in Terai/Madhesh, which is also called the granary of Nepal, are ready for paddy plantation, the scant rainfall has afflicted them much. So far, the paddy is planted only in 57 percent of arable land.

It is time almost all districts got over with the paddy plantation.

An agronomist at the Ministry of Land Management, Agriculture and Cooperatives in Madhesh State, Manish Kumar Pal, said 43 percent of the arable land was yet to be cultivated because of delayed rainfall. Saptari district has planted paddy in 75 percent of cultivable land, the highest in the state, and Parsa did it in 42 percent.

Pal further said as the province failed to have rainfall after the second week of Asar, the farmers are forced to adopt an alternative way to ensure water. The agronomist further informed that Bara has done paddy plantation in 60 percent of its land, Siraha and Sarlahi in 55 percent, Rautahat 50, Mahottari 45 and Parsa 42. Parsa has 54,732 hectares of cultivable land.

Pal observed that rice seedling was prepared late this year in Madhesh. Of late, rice plantation has been delayed as compared to the previous years. But, the scant rainfall has hit hard the farmers.

A farmer Sugambar Yadav from Dhanushadham Municipality-4 shared the plight, “I managed paddy plantation in some one bighas of lands by drawing water with motor pumps, but the rice seeding is wilting now for not having rainfall.” If the rain does not occur within few days, the cultivated rice seeding will be destroyed, he worried.

He further said the farmers, who planted rice despite huge cost and labour, were afflicted much to see the of rice fields drying up day by day.

The canal built by Kamala Irrigation Management Office, Dhanusha has the capacity to irrigate only some 25,000 hectares of land from Siraha and Dhanusha districts combined. But, the rainfall is still eluding to mount worries to farmers and diminishing water level in the Kamala River, said Birendra Kumar Yadav. He is the chief of the Kamala Irrigation Management Office here.

“Once the water level rises in the Kamala River, it elates the farmers- they can plant rice with adequate water. But, the water level is low for lack of rainfall,” he added.

In addition to irrigation woes, lack of chemical fertilizer and agricultural labour are equally bothering factors to do agriculture here. Paddy plantation and crop harvest have to be carried out with much difficulty.