Rice Cultivation in Nepal: From Paddy Fields to Plate

‘Did you eat rice?’ This is a common question we all ask when we meet. For most of us, the day starts with rice and ends with rice. But does everyone know where this rice comes from? How is it prepared? When I asked some of my friends living in the city, they said, ‘We buy it from the shop, it comes from a sack.’

Some small children are even heard saying that rice is made in a rice mill. In reality, the story of rice is not that simple. It begins from the paddy field, from the farmer's hard work, and from the transplanting in Asar. Rice is the first grain of rice. There might be many children who haven't seen paddy. Paddy is a crop that is grown in a water-filled field. First, farmers sow paddy seeds in a small area, which is called ‘byad’. After a few weeks, small green seedlings sprout there, which are called paddy seedlings or ‘berna’. These seedlings are later transplanted in a large field, and this process is called ‘ropai’ (transplanting).