Butwal, Apr. 19:   Farmers of Rupandehi district are disappointed for not receiving proper price of paddy.

The yield of paddy this year is much more as compared to that of the last year but the farmers are not able to get due profit.

Vishnu Paudel, a farmer says, “leave alone the principal, even the interest could not be paid.”

The traders here are trading the rice imported from India which is cheaper by 20 to 30 per cent.

According to the district agriculture development office, the output of paddy sown at 73,000 hectares of land in the district was 211,700 Mt. which is an increase of 16 to 20 per cent than that of previous year.

The farmers are not able to recover even the cost of production as a result of the prevailing market prices of the rice.

President of Rupandehi Chamber of Commerce and Industry Mahendra Narayan Shrestha says that on the average, 15 truckloads of rice a day are imported from India at present.

According to Rupandehi Ricemills Association, dozens of local ricemills are on the verge of closure due to the unrestricted import of rice from India.

Meanwhile, Butwal Chamber of Commerce and Industry has issued a press release urging the government to pay attention to resolving the problem which may also have negative impact on employment opportunities.

In Rajbiraj, as water from Koshi barrage has not been released to western canal and pump canal, summer paddy plants sown at 21,000 hectares of Saptari distrit has dried up and got damaged.

A group of farmers obstructed the flow of traffic and demonstrated at the Koshi Barrage last Sunday to highlight their hardship.

A delegation headed by member of Saptari District Development Committee and vice-president of district committee of Nepal Sadbhavana Party (NSP) Bishweshwar Rajak and Surya Narayan Mandal of NSP manhandled assistant CDO Bharat Mani Adhikari alleging that water had not been released in the canals and that Dr. Murali Singh of Sagarmatha Hospital refused to provide medical treatment to patients.

DDC member Rajak, Mandal of NSP and 10 others involved in the incident have been arrested.

Participants of the all party meeting convened by the district administration office last Sunday to discuss the issue deplored the incident and demanded stern actin against the culprits.

The meeting was attended by MP Mrigendra Kumar Singh Yadav, DDC chairman Dinesh Kumar Yadav, DDC vice-chairman Balaram Chaudhari, Rajbiraj Mayor, Saptari CDO, Superintendent of Police, head of Koshi pump irrigation office, medical superintendent of Sagarmatha Zonal Hospital, representatives of various political parties and journalists.

Action has been initiated under the public offences against those arrested, it is learnt from SP Sanandan Prasad Kurmi.