The Nepal Weekly 
July 2, 2024
The theme of the 21st National Paddy Day is ‘Climate resilient farming, increase in paddy production”.
Nepal started celebrating Asar 15 as National Paddy Day from 2005 as per a minister-level decision taken on December 14, 2004. The Day is marked on the 15th day of the month of Asar every year.
A formal programme was organised at Sauraha (Bachhauli) in Chitwan to mark the day in the presence of Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal. On the occasion, Prime Minister Prachanda planted paddy using paddy transplanter, a modern agricultural machine where government officials, farmers and paddy experts and others also had participated in the event.
Prime Minister Dahal, addressing the programme, said that the government’s priority was research, development and dissemination of climate-friendly technology to increase the production and productivity of rice.
He clarified that research, development and dissemination of climate-friendly technologies to reduce the negative impact of climate change on major crops, including rice and increase production and productivity, taking this as the government’s priority.
“The government is going to increase the use of technology to raise the production and productivity of rice adopting climate-friendly technologies which will help reduce the import of paddy and rice.” “We have adopted a strategy to increase the production of paddy through the use of biological diversity and the development of high-yielding rice varieties with high nutritional value, and the use of farmer-friendly technologies in production,” PM Dahal said. He stated that climate change has recently emerged as a major challenge to the agriculture also.
The Prime Minister called upon all the three levels of government for the successful implementation of the policies taken by the government of Nepal for increasing agricultural produce, including paddy.
On the occasion, Minister for Agriculture and Livestock Development JwalaKumariSah, expressed the commitment of the government to work for the production and marketing of agricultural products by emphasising the production of agricultural produce.
The Ministry has advanced the work in terms of mechanisation and commercialisation in agriculture reflecting the sense of unity,” she said.
Bagmati Province Chief Minister ShalikramJamkattel said that said that Chitwan would be made self-reliant in terms of paddy production within five years. Prime Minister Prachanda also participated in the Paddy Planting Festival organsied by Bharatpur Metropolitan City at Kesharbag in Chitwan.
On the occasion, he said that the government is trying to make the country self-reliant not only in paddy but also in other food items.
Stating that the government had announced the Agriculture Decade Programme in the budget and policies and programmes of the next fiscal year, the Prime Minister expressed his belief that the country can become self-reliant in rice by ensuring irrigation, providing seeds and fertilisers and mechanisation.
Mayor of Bharatpur Metropolitan City RenuDahal assured that arrangements will be made to provide irrigation to all the arable lands of Chitwan throughout the year. Stating that the productivity would be increased by implementing farmer-friendly programmes, she said that efforts were being made to make Chitwan self-sufficient in food.
