This year’s heavy rainfall has caused significant damage to Nepal’s agriculture sector, leading to an estimated 5 percent decline in rice production, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development.
Based on data showing losses worth Rs. 3.55 billion in the agriculture and livestock sectors nationwide, the ministry projects a reduction in rice output. Last year, Nepal produced 5.955 million metric tons of rice, but this year’s production is expected to be around 3 percent (about 300,000 metric tons) lower, said Information Officer Mahananda Joshi.
He stated that climate change impacts, including floods, landslides, and erratic rainfall, have caused the most damage in the agriculture sector. Although the country had expected over 6 million metric tons of rice production this year due to consistent growth in the past four to five years, the damage has made reaching that target difficult.
Many farmers suffered heavy losses as they were unable to harvest their crops on time, while harvested rice left in the fields was soaked and rotted due to continuous rainfall. This has directly affected overall production.
Joshi added that the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology had issued timely rainfall forecasts, allowing the ministry to warn farmers to delay harvesting until the weather cleared, which helped reduce potential losses. The ministry continues to support farmers with fertilizer, seeds, technology, and technical training to mitigate the effects of such disasters.
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