The government has set this year's paddy support price at NPR 3,200 per quintal for coarse varieties and NPR 3,450 for fine varieties.
Farmers in Kailali say the figure does not even cover their production costs. The district chapter chair of the farmers' federation, recalling their demand of NPR 3,800, said: “Fertiliser costs more than last year and so does diesel. Selling at this price is a loss.”
The Agriculture Knowledge Centre in Kailali puts this year's planted area at roughly 42,000 hectares. With the monsoon arriving on time, the harvest is expected to be better than last year's.
The Dhangadhi branch of the Food Management and Trading Company says it has begun preparing procurement centres. Last year, however, the company bought less than three percent of the district's total output, leaving most farmers to sell to local traders at lower prices.
“The support price exists on paper; at the centre the quota runs out,” said Ramprasad Yadav, a farmer from Geta. “The middleman offers 2,700. We cannot afford to wait.”
