December 28: Paddy production has increased across the country by around nine per cent this year but is not enough to meet the overall demand for 6.1 million metric tonnes of paddy, according to a news published by Rastriya Samachar Samiti (RSS).

A total of 5.6 million metric tonnes of paddy was produced this year as compared to 5.1 million metric tonnes last year, said Ram Krishna Regmi, senior data officer at the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development.

Binod Bhattarai, information officer at the ministry, said that the government has achieved the target of producing 5.5 million metric tonnes of paddy as mentioned in the fourth three-year plan.

The overall increment in paddy yield is 8.89 per cent this year, RSS quoted Regmi as saying. The increment per hectare of land stands at 3.76 metric tonnes as compared to 3.5 metric tonnes last year.

the paddy fields grew by around 22,000 hectares this year, an increment of 7.27 per cent, Regmi further said.

Rains, arrangements for fertilisers on time, the use of hybrid seeds, and less impact of natural disasters are said to be the reason behind the increment in paddy production, said the ministry's secretary Yubakdhoj GC.

 Province 2 topped the paddy production increment this year among the seven provinces, said the ministry. The province witnessed a production of 1.49 million metric tonnes of paddy, an increment of 209,000 metric tonnes.

The paddy plantation this year covered 1.49 million hectares of lands as compared to 1.46 million hectares last year, said the ministry.