Nepal’s National Rice Day was marked at Khumaltar in Lalitpur with a tech-forward twist, featuring drones to spray fertiliser over the paddy fields, while transplanting machines handled the planting.
The 23rd National Rice Day and Transplanting Festival was jointly organised by the National Crop Science Research Centre and the Crop Development and Agro-Biodiversity Conservation Centre.
The event was held under the theme “Climate-Friendly Technology, Self-Reliance in Rice, and Prosperity.”
Ashok Kumar Chaudhary, convenor of the House of Representatives’ Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee, formally launched the festival by sending a drone aloft to spray fertiliser over the fields. He said the government is steadily working towards making the country self-sufficient in food production.
National Planning Commission member Devendra Gauchan noted that while policy frameworks are in place, structural reforms are needed. He stressed better coordination between farmers and the Agriculture Research Council, and called for greater attention to producing climate-adaptive, nutrition-rich rice varieties.
