The Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development has projected a 5% decline in rice production this year due to heavy rainfall, which has caused extensive damage to agriculture and livestock sectors across the country. The total estimated losses amount to NPR 355 million.

According to the ministry’s analysis, last year’s rice production stood at 5.955 million metric tons, and this year, a reduction of around 3% (approximately 300,000 metric tons) is expected.

The ministry’s spokesperson, Mahananda Joshi, highlighted that the impacts of climate change, including floods, heavy rainfall, and landslides, have caused the most significant damage to the agricultural sector. Over the past four to five years, rice production had been steadily increasing, with initial estimates suggesting production could surpass 6 million metric tons this year. However, the recent rainfall has made achieving this target difficult.

Farmers were unable to harvest rice on time due to persistent rain, and rice left in the fields was soaked and partially rotted, leading to direct losses. Despite this, timely alerts from the Department of Meteorology allowed the ministry to advise farmers to harvest rice only after the weather cleared, which helped mitigate some of the damage.