Salyan, September 10 : The production level of foods in the mountainous and hilly districts is so low that they are compelled to rely on Terai for the same. However, the case of one such district, Salyan, is quite different. It has not only become self-sufficient in foods but also witnessed its surplus of late.
Until a few years back, the food production of the district was not adequate to address even the demands of its dwellers. But, there has been a rise in the production of crops such as paddy, maize, millet and wheat lately.
Chief the Agriculture Development Office, Mahesh Acharya, shared that the district has made substantial progress in food production due to favourable monsoon, effective use of compost fertilizer and improved seeds and farmers’ activism, among others. According to him, the farmers are also selling the food produce from their own homes,
Information Officer of the Agriculture Development Office Resham Kumar Basnet shared that there was a food surplus of 8,743 metric tons out of the total production of 97,664 metric tons in Salyan in the fiscal year 2019/20. “In the last fiscal year the district saw the production of 16,104 metric tons of rice, 51,173 metric tons of maize, 29,138 metric tons of wheat, 921 metric tons of millet and 325 metric tons of barley. Paddy plantation was done in 7,078 hectares area”, information officer Basnet further informed.
Total food requirement of the district out of its produce accounts for 54,738 metric tons. The food production and productivity of the district could be further increased with the proper utilization of the barren land as well as diversification and modernization of the products, the district agriculture office said.
