Rukum West. 100 per cent sowing has been completed in all the six local levels of the district. Sowing started here in the last week of May.

According to the Agriculture Development Office, Rukum West, paddy is cultivated in Chaurjahari, Musikot and Athabiskot municipalities and Sanibheri, Banfikot and Triveni rural municipalities of the district. Bharat Bahadur Basnet, chief of the office, said that the sowing was completed on time due to the rain and weather support this year. According to him, paddy is cultivated in 3,048 hectares of land in the district.

Office Chief Basnet said that other hybrid varieties of paddy including Khumal-4 and 6, Radha-4 are being cultivated here. He said that this year all the cultivable land under paddy cultivation has been planted and the production is expected to be higher than the previous fiscal year.

According to Basnet, if paddy is cultivated on all barren lands, the production will also increase along with the cultivable area. He said that the office was working with the goal of providing irrigation facilities to all the cultivable areas, so the production would also increase if the irrigation facilities were expanded.

Office chief Basnet said that emphasis has been laid on rice cultivation to increase paddy production. The district produced 12,955 metric tonnes of paddy last year. He said that the production is expected to increase by 10 to 15 percent compared to last year due to timely rainfall and no insects in paddy cultivation.

Some of the produce is being sold outside the district from Chaurjahari and Athabiskot municipalities, according to the Agriculture Development Office. Office chief Basnet said Rukum West is not self-sufficient in food items including paddy.