SATV 12 June, Kathmandu: This year, Chaite rice farming has been good in Nawalpur. However, farmers have been left disappointed due to lack of fair price for their produce.

Dan Bahadur Ale, a farmer from Madhyabindu Municipality-2, said he cultivated rice on five kaththas (3.32 ropanis) of land and produced ten quintals. “The production was good, but what’s the use if we don’t get a decent price? They’re offering just Rs. 2,200 per quintal. We can’t even recover our investment at that rate. In such a situation, shouldn’t the state intervene?” he questioned.

Farmers participating in a programme organised by the Agriculture Knowledge Centre have been engaged in group-based farming. Buddhabhumi Farmers’ Group cultivated rice over five bigahas of land. Although the farmers had a good harvest, due to low price of the produce in the market, they have had to dry the rice and store it in sacks.

Since farmers cultivate rice twice a year, they usually sell the Chaite rice and use the seasonal rice for household consumption. 

Man Bahadur Tharu, a farmer from Bhedabari in Gaindakot-11, complained that Chaite rice has not fetched a good price this year. He cultivated rice on seven bigahas of land. Despite a good harvest, he said the situation has become such that farmers are questioning whether they should continue rice cultivation next year.

Last year, he sold freshly harvested wet rice for between Rs. 3,000 and Rs. 3,200 per quintal directly from the field. This year, he is concerned because buyers are offering only Rs. 2,200 per quintal.

“They won’t even pay more than Rs. 2,200 for rice we’ve brought home and dried properly. This makes me feel like giving up rice farming from next year. If the costs aren’t even recovered, what’s the point in continuing with it?” Tharu said.

He also noted the government's support price for Chaite rice has been set at Rs. 2,879 per quintal, but it is painful that farmers are being forced to sell at much lower price. He further said that the government should now provide subsidies based on returns.

Kul Prasad Tiwari, Head of the Agriculture Knowledge Centre in Nawalpur, said farmers have been complaining about not getting a fair price for Chaite rice this year, but this is an issue that requires intervention from the federal government.

According to him, one of the reasons farmers have not received a good price this year is due to the import of cheap rice from India. “The government encourages production through various programmes, but if problems in marketing persist—if farmers don’t get a price and can’t even recover their costs—then how will increasing production lead to national economic prosperity? If this continues, even the Chaite rice promotion programme will fail,” he remarked.

This year, Chaite rice was cultivated on approximately 1,100 hectares of land in Nawalpur. Eleven farmers who cultivated Chaite rice have already harvested it.

According to Sanjay Dhakal, an agricultural economist at the Agriculture Knowledge Centre in Nawalpur, production increased this year due to prioritised irrigation efforts under the Chaite Rice Promotion Programme and an expansion in cultivated area.

Under the programme, farmers have been receiving support for seeds, irrigation, mechanisation, and technical assistance.