LALITPUR, June 29: The 23rd National Paddy Day and the Rice Planting Festival 2083 were celebrated by spreading fertilizer through drones and planting rice using machines.
Ashok Kumar Chaudhary, coordinator of the House of Representatives' Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee, inaugurated the festival by flying a drone to broadcast fertilizer in the paddy fields.
The National Crop Research Center and the Crop Development and Agricultural Biodiversity Conservation Center held an event in Khumaltar, Lalitpur today to mark the National Paddy Day and the Rice Planting Festival 2083, around the slogan - 'Climate-friendly technology, self-sufficiency in paddy, and prosperity.'
Addressing the programme, Chaudhary expressed the view that the government is moving forward to make the country self-reliant in food grains.
"Today is a day to honour the agricultural profession and the farmers. Without production, the country, markets, and economy cannot run. We need to focus on identifying and addressing the real problems of farmers," he said, adding that to ensure Nepal’s required rice supply, the government must provide farmers with fair support prices, adequate irrigation facilities, and focus on the development of necessary technology.
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According to him, the government is also working on agricultural insurance and relief measures, and paying attention to attracting youth to agriculture. "The hard work and sweat of farmers must be respected," he said.
Dr. Devendra Gauchan, a member of the National Planning Commission, said that even though the policy framework has improved, emphasis should be placed on structural reforms. He highlighted the importance of coordination and communication between farmers and the Agricultural Research Council, and stressed the need to focus on producing climate-resilient and nutrient-rich rice.
Secretary at the Ministry of Agriculture, Forests and Environment, Dr. Rajendra Prasad Mishra, emphasized that due to urbanization and plotting, there is a decrease in cultivable land, which is causing a decline in rice production. He pointed out the need to focus on increasing rice yield through better pesticide use, two-phase production, promoting irrigation, and using mechanization to reduce labor costs, so as to boost productivity and contribute to an efficient supply chain.
Prakash Kumar Sanjel, the Director General of the Agriculture Department, informed that the department is focusing on solving farmers' and irrigation issues and is working carefully on the minimum support price for rice and policy arrangements.
Dr. Shreemat Shrestha, the acting director of the Nepal Agricultural Research Council, stated that the Council is focusing on producing high-yield rice seeds to help farmers prosper, as agricultural land is shrinking due to urbanization.
He said that the council is working on developing drought and flood-resistant rice seeds and complained about the lack of budget to develop advanced technology.
Dr. Homnath Bhandari, the international coordinator for Nepal and Bangladesh at IRRI, which is active in rice research and development, said that they are focusing on research and innovation for developing gene technology to improve productivity, producing more with less manpower, enhancing capacity, and producing low-carbon food.
Keshav Devkota, head of the Crop Development and Agricultural Biodiversity Conservation Center, gave a presentation on 'Self-Reliance in Paddy and Rice: Current Status, Problems and Challenges, and Future Directions,' and shared that annual paddy production is worth two billion and rice contributes four percent to the national GDP.
He mentioned that the council has reported the production of rice seeds of 140 varieties and that efforts are being made to assist with irrigation and production.
Dr. Tek Gotame, Director of Crops and Horticulture Section at Nepal Agricultural Research Council, said that the council is focusing on planning and implementing programmes to replace rice imports and is actively working on developing climate-friendly, disease-resistant seeds.
The outstanding spring season rice producers, organizations that protect and promote local rice, scientists contributing to the promotion of rice varieties, mills working in the rice value chain, rice production zones working in the rice value chain, community rice nurseries, and outstanding agricultural journalists were honored on the occasion.
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