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Agriculture in Nepal
Agriculture is the mainstay of the Nepalese economy, accounting for about 38% of the country’s GDP and employing more than 60% of the workforce. The sector is particularly important in the rural areas, where most of the population lives.
Nepal’s climate is suitable for a wide range of crops, including cereals, pulses, vegetables, fruits, spices, herbs, tobacco, and jute. Rice is the staple food crop, and wheat, maize, millet, and barley are also grown. The country is also a major producer of pulses, such as lentils and beans.
Vegetables, such as potatoes, tomatoes, cabbage, and cauliflower, are widely grown, and Nepal is also a major producer of fruits, such as oranges, mangoes, bananas, and grapes. Jute, sugarcane, and tobacco are also important crops.
Agricultural production has been growing steadily in recent years, thanks to improved technology and increased investment. The government has also introduced several initiatives to promote the sector, such as providing subsidies for farmers and investing in irrigation and other infrastructure projects.
As a result of these efforts, agricultural output is now at an all-time high. In the 2016/17 fiscal year, agricultural production was valued at NPR 242 billion (US$2.2 billion), up from NPR 213 billion (US$2.0 billion) in the previous year.
The growth of the agricultural sector has been a key driver of economic development in Nepal, reducing poverty and improving food security. It has also helped to create jobs and improve livelihoods, especially in rural areas.
The country is rich in terms of water resources, which helps in the cultivation of a wide variety of crops and vegetables. The three main geographical regions of Nepal are the hilly region, the mountainous region and the terai belt.
The hilly region of Nepal covers about two-thirds of the total land area of the country. This region has a cool climate and is suitable for the cultivation of temperate crops such as wheat, barley, maize, potatoes, peas, beans, and lentils. The hills also provide ideal conditions for the growth of cash crops such as tobacco, tea, and coffee.
The mountainous region of Nepal is located at an altitude of more than 3,000 meters above sea level. This region has a cold climate and is suitable for the cultivation of high-altitude crops such as buckwheat, millet, and barley. Potatoes, cabbage, and spinach are also grown in this region.
The terai belt is a narrow strip of land that lies at the base of the Himalayan Mountains. This region has a hot and humid climate and is suitable for the cultivation of tropical crops such as rice, maize, cotton, and jute. The terai belt is also home to a variety of fruits and vegetables such as mangoes,bananas, and tomatoes.
Latest Available Data
NATIONAL AREA BY ECOLOGICAL BELT
Belt | Area (Sq.Km) | Percentage |
Mountain | 51,817 | 35 |
Hill | 61,345 | 42 |
Terai | 34,019 | 23 |
Total | 147,181 | 100 |
LAND USE DISTRIBUTION BY USE CATEGORY
Category | Area (‘000 Hectares) | Percentage (%) |
Agricultural land cultivated | 3,091 | 21.00 |
Agricultural land uncultivated | 1,030 | 7.00 |
Forest | 4,268 | 29.00 |
Shrubland | 1,560 | 10.60 |
Grass land and pasture | 1,766 | 12.00 |
Water | 383 | 2.60 |
Others | 2,620 | 17.80 |
Total | 14,718 | 100.00 |
Cereal crop
2077/78 (2020/21) | ||
Crops | Area | Production |
Paddy | 1,473,474 | 5,621,710 |
Maize | 979,776 | 2,997,733 |
Wheat | 711,067 | 2,127,276 |
Millet | 265,401 | 326,443 |
Buckwheat | 13,875 | 15,917 |
Barley | 21,862 | 29,433 |
Total | 3,465,455 | 11,118,512 |
Cash Crops
2077/78 (2020/21) | ||
Crops | Area | Production |
Oilseeds | 259101 | 287038 |
Potato | 198788 | 3325231 |
Sugarcane | 64354 | 3183943 |
Jute | 7415 | 10451 |
Cotton | 142 | 147 |
Other Crops
2077/78 (2020/21) | ||
Crops | Area | Production |
Fruits | 128733 | 1356218 |
Vegetables | 284121 | 3993167 |
Tea | 16917 | 23745 |
Coffee | 3052 | 315 |
Province 1
The Province 1 lies in the easternmost part of Nepal. Province No. 1 covers an area of 25,905 km2. The Province has three-fold geographical division: Himalayan in the north, Hilly in the middle and Terai in the southern part of Nepal, varying between an altitude of 60 m and 8,848 m. Terai, extended from east to west, is made up of alluvial soil.
Sub-tropical, temperate, subtemperate, and alpine and tundra types of climates are found here. Province No. 1 also includes the snowfall capped peaks including Mt. Everest, Kanchanjunga, Makalu with Solukhumbu, Sankhuwasabha and Taplejung districts towards the north, the jungle clad hill tracts of Okhaldhunga, Khotang, Bhojpur, Terhathum, Ilam and Panchthar in the middle and the alluvial fertile plains of Udayapur, Sunsari, Morang and Jhapa.
Most of people are involved in Tea, cardamom, paddy, maize, wheat, potato, and millet as their main crops. Jhapa, Morang and Sunsari district of Terai and Udayapur of Inner Terai has fertile land for farming paddy, wheat, sugarcane, maize, millet and jute. Farmers of terai region also produce fruits like mango, litchi and banana. Tea, cardamom and ginger are main crops in hilly region. Ilam and Jhapa are the main districts for the production of tea although Panchthar, Dhankuta, Bhojpur and Solukhumbu are the new regions being involved in tea farming. Different fruits like citrus, Kiwi; vegetables and spices like Cardamom and ginger are commercially grown in this region. Chhurpi, a type of cheese produced from yak in some hilly and mountainous region of Province No. 1 is important product and has high demand in the other parts of country.
Province 2
Province 2 which lies in the southeastern region of Nepal, is the smallest province in terms of area coverage. The province is totally located on a flat plain land which is also called the Terai and thus have quite easy terrain.
The province 2 elongates only in the Terai region with the huge potentiality of agricultural production. The province is very important from the perspectives of agriculture. The fertile and flat land of this province provides great opportunity for agriculture production where surface irrigation is the easiest; however the floods during rainy season poses dangers equally. The region produces a variety of crops including rice, wheat, maize, sugarcane, jute and vegetables and are highly commercialized. Likewise fish farming is also major source of income of the people of this province. Almost 50 % of total fish production in the country, comes under this province. The province has good opportunity to serve as food basket of the country; however the farmers are equally affected by the cheap Indian production and lack economic prosperity for poor farmers.
Province 3
The province 3 is located between Tibet (China) in the north and province 2 in the south. Most of the part of this province is hilly and mountainous. Deciduous forest, coniferous forest, alpine forests are available here due to the altitude. Rainfall takes place mainly during summer. Major source of income for the people are service, agriculture, industry, hydroelectricity and remittances. Some of the sub sectors like Poultry, Dairy and vegetables are highly commercialized in this province. Chitwan, Dhading, Kavre, Bhaktapur and Nuwakot are famous for commercial vegetable production; while more than 40% of total production are from this province and mainly in chitwan. Large scale agro-based industries are situated in this province that consumes massive amount of raw materials for agricultural products.
Province 4
The province 4 lies between China in the north and province 5 in the south. The people of this province are involved in agriculture. The major food crops grown in this province are paddy, maize, millet and wheat. The cash crops include Potatoes, coffee, apple and oranges. Livestock rearing also accounts for a large part of this provinces agricultural activity.
Province 5
Province 5 is formed with both the Hilly region and plain land of the Terai. In terms of terrain, the province is spread over the Himalayan, Hilly and Terai region of Nepal; 5,919 km2 (26.8%) of the area falls under the Himalayan region, 14,604 km2 (67.2%) of the area falls under the Hilly region and 1,310 km2 (6%) of the area falls under the Terai region. The rivers like Karnali, Bheri, Rapti, and Babai provides opportunity for enormous irrigation in the province. Sikta irrigation project and Babai Diversion and irrigation project have benefited the agricultural production. This province is best suited for agriculture production as the land is very fertile and good source of irrigation prevails. The major crops are paddy, mustard, wheat, maize, sugarcane, vegetables, potato, lentils and cotton.
Province 6
The province lies in the western part of Nepal. The province does not cover any fertile land of the plain Terai. The province is fertile for fruits like apples, oranges, pomegranate and walnut which are traded all over the country. Maize, barley, wheat, millet, and paddy are the staple food crops. Similarly, mustard, soybean and hot chili are some of the noteworthy cash crops of this province. The special paddy crop known as Jumli Marsi‘ is the very popular breed of paddy which is produced in Jumla. Owing to weather conditions, cultivation activities are limited to one crop per year or in optimal conditions, three crops in two years in some of the district of this province. The medicinal and aromatic plants are major produce that sustain economy of many people of past Karnali zone.
Province 7
The province is located in the western-most part of Nepal. There are three geographical features in this province: the Himalayan in the north, the Hilly in the middle and the Terai in the south. The principal crops grown in this province are wheat, rice, mustard, maize, and cotton.