Nepal celebrates National Rice Day

Nepal celebrated its 10th National Rice Day on 29 June 2013, with more than 10,000 government and agriculture leaders, researchers, extension workers, and farmers joining the festivities held at farmers’ fields in Bhaktapur District and at the Nepal Agricultural Research Council (NARC) Research Centre in Khumaltar.

Tek Thapa and Jaya Mukunda Khanal, the minister of agriculture development (MoAD) and MoAD secretary, respectively, emphasized adoption of rice technologies to increase production and productivity for food security in their messages.

Several rice production technologies were highlighted by Dil Gurung, NARC executive director, who also cited the Nepali government's support to rice research through supply of genetic materials; technological development; capacity building of rice scientists; and Nepal's participation in various partner networks based at IRRI that include the Consortium for Unfavorable Environments (CURE), Council for Partnership on Rice Research in Asia, Hybrid Rice Development Consortium (HRDC), and the Temperate Rice Research Consortium (TRRC).

The IRRI Nepal Office was represented by Bhaba Tripathi in the ceremonies.

From 2004, when Nepal joined the United Nation's call to celebrate the International Year of Rice, the government decided to celebrate National Rice Day on 29 June every year.

National Rice Day aims to make people aware of the importance of rice to the national economy as well as in daily life.

The IRRI Nepal Office was represented by Bhaba Tripathi in the ceremonies.


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