Almost 77 percent of paddy transplantation was completed until the first week of August in the eight districts of Mades Province, the Agricultural Development Directorate confirmed. 

Directorate's Director Jitendra Yadav said that Bara district recorded the highest progress in paddy transplantation with 95 percent while Mahottarai has the least progress (61.5 percent). 

Among the districts, Parsa reported progress with 92 percent of its paddy fields transplanted, followed by Rautahat at 85 percent, Sarlahi at 75 percent, and Dhanusha, Saptari and Siraha each at 70 percent. 

The paddy transplantation activities gained momentum since the rainfall began. Of the total 372,645 hectares of land allocated for paddy cultivation, paddy transplantation has been completed in 285,335 hectares of land so far. 

Yadav shared that paddy transplantation is expected to reach around 80 percent of the total target this year, resulting in reduced paddy production. 

According to Director Yadav, paddy production could decrease by some 27 percent this year due to delayed transplantation. 

The recent rainfall that was almost regular over the past weeks has brought much-needed relief to farmers across the province. 

Many fields had developed fissures due to prolonged dryness and the rains have not only irrigated land, but also brought relief and joy to farmers.

Prior to the rains, farmers were relying heavily on deep tube wells for irrigation, a costly and challenging alternative, particularly in areas with unreliable electricity supply.