Crisis looms as low rice production struggles to meet growing population

Currently, farmers across the country are out in their fields harvesting their crops. In the scorching sun, they are fully engaged in cutting, drying, and raking the paddy planted in June/July. As that goes on, the government, however, is deliberating whether to import rice that India has set as a quota for export as it is worried about the country’s rice production.

India in July imposed a ban on the export of non-basmati white rice. That caused a surge in rice prices in Nepal. As concerns arose regarding a potential shortage, the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supply approached India, requesting over 100,000 metric tonnes of rice to stabilise the prices.