Chitwan:Paddy production in Chitwan’s designated rice zone is projected to rise by 5,000 metric tonnes this fiscal year 2026/27, reaching an estimated 50,000 tonnes, as crop assessments indicate higher output.
According to National News Agency RSS, the rice zone produced 45,000 metric tonnes of paddy last fiscal year from 8,500 hectares of land, as reported by Sauraj Bishwakarma, Information Officer at the National Agriculture Modernization Programme Implementation Unit in Bharatpur. Bishwakarma projected that production in the rice zone has increased and, based on crop-cutting assessments, the output is expected to reach 50,000 metric tonnes this year.
The designated rice zone covers parts of three municipalities in eastern Chitwan Ratnanagar, Khairahani, and Rapti. Farmers in the area cultivate several rice varieties, including Hardinath, Sawa Mansuli, Jhurre Sawa, Gorakhnath, Radhachar, and Sabitri. The programme includes paddy-growing areas in wards 5-7 and 9-13 of Khairahani, wards 1-4 and 6 of Rapti, and wards 3-9 of Ratnanagar. Agricultural groups and farms are also participating in the programme.
Meanwhile, an assessment of paddy production across Chitwan district is still underway. Nirmal Poudel, an agricultural economist at the Agriculture Development Office in Chitwan, mentioned that crop-cutting assessments are being conducted to determine the district’s overall rice output.