KATHMANDU: Today is Asar 15, the National Paddy Plantation Day. In 2061 BS, the government decided to celebrate this day as National Paddy Plantation Day.

Today, this day is being celebrated all over the country. It has been a tradition to celebrate this day by eating curd-beaten rice, playing in the mud, and holding traditional cultural programs according to the place. The farmers are busy from morning to evening in the plantation even during the midst of the COVID  pandemic.

Paddy is cultivated in 47 percent of the total cultivable land in Nepal. The Department of Agriculture has stated that 5.6 million and 21 thousand metric tonnes of paddy will be grown in an area of ​​1.47 million hectares. Due to the change in food culture among the people for various reasons, the import of rice is increasing as the domestic production does not meet the demand.

Member of National Planning Commission Dr Krishna Prasad Oli says that it is necessary to develop hybrid paddy by conducting research.

Due to the risk of coronavirus infection, the National Paddy plantation Day celebration from the government side have been limited to formalities.