Mugu — In the high Himalayan district of Mugu, this year’s rice planting has been notably successful. Farmers have planted rice on approximately 70 percent of the total arable land, signaling a positive outlook for the current agricultural season. According to the Agriculture Development Office, the district has 16,763 hectares of cultivable land, of which 544 hectares have been planted with rice.
This represents encouraging progress compared to previous years. Farmers in all four local municipalities — Khatyad, Soru, Chhayanath Rara, and Mugum Karmarong — have been actively engaged in planting. Ganesh Adhikari, an agricultural officer, reported that Khatyad Rural Municipality saw the highest rice plantation this year. Local communities there prepared their fields and completed planting on time, taking advantage of the favorable rainfall.
Introduction of New Rice Varieties and Farmers’ Perspectives
Adhikari also noted that while the traditional practice in the district is to grow the native ‘Lekali’ rice variety, this year farmers experimented by planting a new variety known as “Black Rice,” which was brought from Jajarkot. Ram Bahadur Rokaya, a farmer from Chhayanath Rara Municipality Ward No. 4, said, “Instead of spending the budget on celebrating Rice Day, the government should focus on providing farmers with modern technology, quality seeds, and programs aimed at increasing production.” He added that timely rainfall this season made it easier to rely on natural irrigation for rice cultivation.
Due to Mugu’s steep terrain, irrigation facilities are limited, making the farmers heavily dependent on rain-fed farming. Traditionally, local varieties such as Ghaiya (Dhogado) rice have been grown in these rain-fed fields. However, there has been a gradual shift towards adopting scientific approaches and market-oriented farming methods in recent times.
With the farmers’ hard work and favorable weather conditions, rice production in Mugu this year is expected to be satisfactory. The agricultural activities within the district are also anticipated to provide a boost to the rural economy.
