CHITWAN, March 15: Mustard production in Chitwan district has declined this year, with both overall output and per-hectare productivity falling compared to last year.
According to Nirmal Paudel, an agricultural economist at the Agriculture Development Office, productivity has dropped from 1.31 metric tons per hectare last year to 1.01 metric tons this year.
Total production has also decreased significantly. The district produced 18,565 metric tons of mustard last year, but output has fallen to 14,315 metric tons this year.
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Mustard is currently cultivated on 14,173 hectares of land across the district.
Paudel said untimely rainfall was the main factor behind the decline. The unusual weather forced farmers to plant mustard a second time in some areas. In addition, fog during the flowering stage and frost conditions also affected crop yields.
Chitwan has long been considered an important district for mustard production. In recent years, farmers’ interest in cash crops has increased, leading more farmers to cultivate mustard.
Farmers are particularly drawn to mustard cultivation because the crop is generally less affected by damage from wild animals, Paudel said.
