Rice crop damage from heavy rains in Nepal

According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation, heavy rainfall from September 24 to 27 affected 229.33 hectares of rice fields nationwide. As reported by Dr. Maniratna Aryal, senior agricultural economist and ministry inspector, damaged rice accounted for 57.17 percent of total agricultural losses during the specified period.

Lumbini Province suffered the greatest damage, particularly the Banke and Dang districts. There, 205.07 hectares of fields were affected, production losses amounted to 359.80 metric tonnes, and financial damage reached 15.46 million rupees. In Gandaki Province, within the Gorkha, Tanahun, Baglung, and Syangja districts, severe weather affected 16.78 hectares of rice fields with losses of 4.39 million rupees. Koshi Province recorded damage totaling 320,000 rupees across an area of 2.14 hectares.

In addition, the bad weather also affected other crops. Losses for corn amounted to 19.60 percent of the total volume, vegetables to 10.40 percent, fruits to 7.85 percent, cardamom to 4.59 percent, millet to 0.26 percent, and flowers to 0.13 percent.