Nepal to face rice deficit of 900k tonnes this year
KATHMANDU, JUN 11 -
Nepal will face a rice deficit of 900,000 tonnes this year despite a projected surplus in the total food grain reserves.
The country’s paddy production fell by 11.3 percent to 5.07 million tonnes this year, according to Ministry of Agriculture Development.
Rice is a major staple food for Nepalis and is also known as the economic backbone of almost 66 percent of the country’s population. “The reason behind the significant deficit in rice production was the late monsoon and untimely rainfall this fiscal year,” said ministry spokesperson Prabhakar Pathak. “However, the country is still in a food surplus position despite the huge rice deficit.”
The pressure of the rice deficit has been real and visible in the country if imports are counted. According to the stats of the Trade and Export Promotion Centre, Nepal imported cereals worth Rs 14.35 billion in the first nine months of the current fiscal year, compared to Rs 6.14 billion in the same period last year.
Among the total cereal imports, rice imports stood at Rs 6.49 billion, up 173 percent year on year. Nepal imported around 227,000 tonnes of food annually during the period between 2005-10. And in 2010-11, it imported 290,000 tonnes of food.
Meanwhile, the food balance statistics released by the ministry on Monday shows the country will be in a food surplus position this year with 408,000 tonnes extra despite a 7.6 percent drop in the annual output of cereal crops to 8.73 million tonnes.
Nepal’s annual output of cereal crops dropped 7.6 percent to 8.73 million tonnes this year. Output of paddy, maize and millet dropped 9.99 percent. Meanwhile, wheat and maize reserves are expected to show a surplus of 1.5 million tonnes and 262,000 tonnes respectively.
Last year, bumper cereal production had given Nepal a record food surplus of 886,307 tonnes, and government officials said that last year’s reserves had an effect this year too with the result that the country did not suffer a negative food balance. In addition, surpluses in wheat and maize output also contributed to the overall food surplus this year.
The ministry said that total edible food production out of the total food produced this year has been recorded at 5.648 million tonnes, based on the consumption rate of 191 kg per person per year. Of the total output, 390,000 tonnes were used as livestock feed, 175,000 tonnes as seed and 800,000 tonnes were lost to damage during the post-harvest season.
Maize and millet output fell 8.3 percent and 3 percent to 1.99 million tonnes and 305,588 tonnes respectively. However, winter crops compensated for the overall food grains output to some extent. Wheat and barley production is expected to inch up 2 percent each to 1.88 million tonnes and 36,973 tonnes respectively this year.
The poor agricultural output this year has resulted in the economic growth rate plunging to a six-year low. The Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) has projected the country’s economic growth at 3.56 percent, the lowest since fiscal 2006-07.
33 districts declared food deficit
The Ministry of Agriculture Development on Monday said that 33 out of the 75 districts have been declared food deficit districts this fiscal year. In the last fiscal year, the number of deficit districts had dropped to 27. Based on the food self-sufficiency ratio (the ratio of production to total supply in the district), Kathmandu is the highest food deficit district followed by Siraha, Lalitpur, Rautahat, Saptari and Bhaktapur. Meanwhile, Jhapa has been named the district with the highest food surplus followed by Rupandehi, Bara, Bardia and Syangja.
Source: The Kathmandu Post
