KATHMANDU, Jan. 3 (Xinhua) -- Nepali farmers are expected to harvest a record of 5.95 million tons of paddy rice in 2024 as good monsoon rains and the availability of chemical fertilizers helped boost productivity, the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development said on Friday.
The figure marks a 4.04-percent rise over 5.72 million tons in 2023, the ministry said in a press statement.
The expected bumper harvest came as paddy was cultivated in 1.42 million hectares of land in 2024, less than 1.43 million hectares in 2023, according to the ministry.
Paddy rice is the biggest contributor to agriculture's gross domestic product share in Nepal as well as one of the key contributors to the national economy, and rice is the staple food for most Nepalis.
The expected rice production in 2024 shall be "the highest ever" in the country, said Mahanand Joshi, a senior agricultural economist at the ministry.
"Good and timely arrival of monsoon rains and a better supply of chemical fertilizers helped to reap a bumper harvest," he told Xinhua.
He noted that paddy fields in Nepal were not affected by pests in 2024 and the impact of the massive floods and landslides in late September was limited on paddy production. ■