Banke. Fields in Banke district have been dusty due to lack of adequate rainfall in June this year. In some places of the district, the beds of the fields where the seeds were kept have cracked.

Dhumliya Tharu, a farmer of Rapti Sonari Rural Municipality-7 in Banke district, said he had not faced such problem in the past years.

“There is no alternative irrigation or water, so it is very difficult for us,” he said. Stating that he owns only 10 kattha of land, Tharu said he has been cultivating paddy in around one and a half bigha of land to feed his family. If there is not enough rain this time, the decrease in paddy production will have a direct impact on his family.

Sharing his experience, Tharu said that around 10 quintals of paddy is produced by cultivating Adhiya paddy every year. ”

Some local levels of Banke district have been planted in Sikta irrigation facilities and through deep-boring irrigation. But most of the fields are deserted. Farms in the southern part of Duduwa, Narainapur and Raptisonari are in a state of dust.

Binod Ghimire, chief of Agriculture Knowledge Centre, Banke, said that paddy plantation could be started till the third week of August. According to him, only a small amount of paddy has been planted in the northern part of the district as the seeds in the farmers’ beds are still not big.

“Rainfall is going to start in a few days from now and it will take time to build the fields, so paddy plantation will start in Banke after a week,” said Ghimire. Last year, paddy plantation was done in 3,818 hectares of total arable land in the district. Of the total 34,711 hectares of land under plantation, only 11 per cent was sown last year. However, till June 26, paddy plantation has not taken place in most of the areas except in some parts of the district.

According to Agriculture Knowledge Centre, Nepalgunj, out of a total of 33,780 hectares of land, paddy plantation is 168 hectares. Plantation has been done in 9 hectares. On the basis of percentage, this planting is 0. It can be taken as 5 percent. According to the Knowledge Centre, in some places, farmers have not been able to keep paddy beds due to lack of rain.