SHAHIMAN RAI

Farmlands in the district remain uncultivated for many of the farmers and their families have migrated abroad for employment. According to the Agriculture Census 2011, 3.73 percent farmlands remained uncultivated in the past 10 years in the district. The same census in 2001 said that 11,362 of a total of 62,299 hectares of cultivable land remained uncultivated.

Without human resources and the tendency to stick to traditional farming, agricultural production has significantly gone down, forcing the import of food items from Tarai. The District Agriculture Office (DAO) said that although 92,618 metric tonnes of food items, mainly rice, are produced in the district, a total of 140,000 metric tonnes are required to suffice the citizens. District Agriculture Development Officer Sarojkanta Adhikari advised an alternative of consuming corn or millet instead of traditional rice as a way to fend off shortages.

The slow rainfall in the region is also seen as a major concern for the farmers. According to DAO, only 45 percent of paddy plantation has been completed in the district so far, compared to last year. The district branch of Nepal Food Corporation said it distributes 2,000 quintals of subsidised rice on average in the district every year. Chief of NFC branch Bhakta Bahadur Bhandari claimed that they distributed 1,500 quintals of subsidized rice this year.

Being unable to sustain on agriculture, many farmers have either switched to alternative businesses or have migrated to other cities and countries for employment. According to the National Census 2011, 14,863 of a total of 182,459 in the area have migrated for various reasons. Chief of Statistics Office Shiva Narayan Mahato stated that people have slowly switched to vegetable and fruit farming in the district.

Published on: 16 July 2014 | The Kathmandu Post