Floods damage crops worth over Rs 340 million in Koshi province

Belbari (Morang), Oct 17: Flooding caused by incessant rains on September 27 and 28 has damaged crops worth more than Rs 340 million in Koshi province.

The province government’s Ministry of Industry, Agriculture and Cooperatives stated that the disaster destroyed crops worth Rs 344 million and 585 thousand in the province.

According to the Ministry, the most damage was inflicted on rice crop. Rice was cultivated on 275,267.98 hectares of land this year and the flooding and inundation damaged the crop worth Rs 176 million and 175 thousand cultivated on 5722.78 hectares, said Dr Deepa Diyali, Chief of the Food Security and Monitoring Division, Koshi Province.

She said the highest damage on rice crop was reported in Khotang district where the flood destroyed the crop on 3,739.3 hectares, followed by Sunsari in which crop cultivated on 824 hectares was damaged, Udayapur where floods destroyed crop in 398.78 hectares, Jhapa where crop on 287 hectares was washed away, Morang where rice cultivated on 244 hectares was destroyed, Bhojpur where crop on 113 hectares was damaged, Tehrathum where crops on 34.75 hectares was flooded and Solukhumbu where the rice crop on 11.2 hectares was damaged.

Likewise, vegetables worth Rs 11 million 187 thousand 800 cultivated on 414.80 hectares, millet worth Rs 37.1 million cultivated on 2357.50 hectares, fruits worth Rs 2 million 773 thousand cultivated on 10.50 hectares and lentils worth Rs 4 million 812 thousand cultivated on 58.60 hectares were damaged due to the flooding, according to the Ministry .