Bardiya— Bardiya is traditionally known as ‘rice bowl’ of Terai. The situation, however, is gradually changing. Farmers of the district well known for their rice productions are facing multiple hardships.
Governmental statistics shows that the arable land has been reduced by thirty thousand hectors in last ten years. The statistics confirms that the reduction in arable land has resulted in decreased paddy production. Ten years ago, rice was cultivated on 75,000 hectors of land, but this year, only 45,500 hectors of land has been used for paddy cultivation.
The farmers estimate that the rice production has decreased this year as well. Technical Assistant of Agriculture Development Office Kamal Tamang said that there has been estimation of increased rice production even though the arable land has been reduced. “There was no flood this year,” he said. “There was no inundation of land; we estimate that there will be increase in rice production.” Sometimes there is inundation. Sometimes the land remains dry for long period due to lack of water for irrigation.
Ex-president of Khairichandanpur Village Development Committee (VDC) Devi Prasad Ghimire said that flood, disaster caused by off-seasonal heavy rainfall, has caused distress to the farmers. “There used to frequent rainfall in the past but this year, we faced a long drought. And there was fear of flood during the time of transplantation. Those farmers using the traditional farming methods were affected by the unfavourable weather.”
Farmers self-dependent on cash crops are now involved in alternate occupation for last ten years. He blames the change in seasons for annual decrease in rice production. “The stability in season used to encourage farmers to cultivate rice in hundreds of hectors;” he said, “At the moment; excessive rainfall and drought have caused decreasing production of cash crops.”
According to the statistics provided by the administration, continued flood between 2014 and 2017 July inundated more than a thousand hectors of land. Dependent on agricultural occupation, he is forced to use the land for alternative work because of the unfavourable weather.
If there is no rainfall, one has to look up to sky to prepare seedbed. It’s not just the rice production, the locals are affected by off-seasonal rainfall that has flooded the wheat cultivation too, he recalled. Since this area is home to a lot of farmers, flood and erosion of land have added troubles in their living as well.
“If there is no rainfall, we have to irrigate land for cultivation through deep boring. Sometimes the rice crops get destroyed by excessive rainfall,” farmer ChhotLal Tharu said.
Teacher Madhav Nigam said that the floods in Karnali and Babai rivers that flow through the district have caused suffering to the local farmers. “As the mid-August nears, our fear grows. The recurrence of floods every year has turned the arable land into banks,” he said.
“A hector of land in this part produces a lot of rice. Similarly, wheat, pulse and mustard are produced in large quantity during winter season,” he said, “farmers suffer from unfavourable climate. He explained that the land that would bear cash crops in both seasons is now turning into bank. It was in the year 2001 that a breed of rice named ‘Makawanpur’ was introduced from Rajapur area.
This rice is at high demand as it is used to produce beaten rice. However, despite of the fertile land, the farmers of this region have not been able to take benefit from it. He stated that ‘Makawanpur’ could not be expanded although most of the farmers are cultivating this variety.
Lack of road network, land cut-off by river link and discriminatory government policy are major reasons which have put this area behind in agriculture.
The data of Agriculture Development Office shows that 75,000 hectors of land is suitable for paddy cultivation. The farmers who used to produce rice until a decade ago are now shifting to other agricultural products, according to officials. He further added that lack of irrigation as well as inundation on paddy fields have left farmers sad. “Farmers are facing issues of lack of irrigation and inundation,” he said. “Inundation causes wide spreading of a pest which decreases the production. If monsoon arrives late, farmers are forced to get water from deep boring, which in turn increases the expenses of farmers.” He informed that several diseases have been caused due to flood.
Although this Terai district lags behind on development, it is considered as a hub of agricultural products. Farmers complain that discriminatory policy of state, despite of the fact that fertile land of district has turned into sand bank due to annual flood of Babai and Karnali rivers, is the cause of backwardness of district.
Annual flood in rivers have decreased the arable land, resulting in reduced production. The farmers of western belt of Rajapur, the place know as granary, are now suffering from flood and drought, he said.
Meteorological Forecasting Division’s meteorologist Nim Kumar Aryal said that the spatial rainfall which is caused when the monsoon system does not engulf the nation at once, is the reason behind flood. “The climate is constantly changing,” he said, “sometimes the rain does not even cool off land, while continued rainfall causes the floods.”
Project run for river control incomplete
Karnali River Control and Management Project had announced to build concrete embankment in 43 kilometres within five years. Four years have already passed but Rajapur area is still unsafe as this project could not meet deadline.
The record shows that the progress of project is only at 30%. Similarly, Babai Irrigation has been initiated from 1988 where primary and secondary canals have been constructed for Babai control, and it aims to irrigate forty thousand hectors of land.
It has already been three decades since this project begun. Babai canal Water Consumers Committee president Bali Ram Tharu said that the construction of primary canal has not yet been completed. “The construction of primary canal is still on-going,” he said, “the river gets flooded at times, while the river is dry when the farmers are in dire need of water.”
Ram LautanChaudhari saw his future in agriculture, and introduced new varieties of seeds of rice. He said, “There is lack of irrigation facility and flooding is spoiling my plan.” He complains that the dam constructed by India in the southern area is causing trouble to the farmers. “India closes the dam immediately after the rise in river’s water level, and land in Nepal gets inundated,” he said, “At other times, Indian side gets the water from the canal, and there is no water for irrigation here.”
Decreasing area of arable land
There is annual decrease in paddy cultivation in Bardiya district. The fertile land, on which the primary agricultural product is rice, produces three crops a year.
This district, which also has the identity of aged commercial centre, is among the fertile lands of Province 5.
Three agricultural yields are produced in a season in this region. The farmers here were dependent on traditional paddy cultivation. Then, the use of technology and declaration of Super Zone by government lured the farmers into cash crops but the unfavourable climate has discouraged them. The record shows that, up until 2005/06, there was 300,000 metric tonnes of rice production on 75,000 hectors of Bardiya.
But in fiscal year 2011/12, the paddy cultivation was done only on 45,500 hectors. By fiscal year 2013/14, there was production of 176,000 metric tonnes on 45,500 hectors. Fiscal year 2015/16 saw paddy cultivation on 45,000 hectors. The statistics presented above shows the decrease in area of paddy cultivation.
