Jumla’s prized Marsi rice is in demand, but production is declining
Summary
Jumla’s prized Marsi rice is drawing strong demand at home and abroad, but farmers say production is falling because of pests, disease, hailstorms and high cultivation costs. The Karnali provincial government and cooperatives are promoting the indigenous rice through insurance, subsidies and marketing support.
Key Points
- Farmers in Jumla, Humla and other Karnali districts are harvesting Marsi rice, which remains in high demand in Nepali cities and overseas markets.
- Production is declining because of labour shortages, higher costs, hailstorms and neck blast disease, pushing some farmers to switch to other rice varieties.
- Hotels, cooperatives and traders are buying Marsi rice aggressively, while export demand has also grown in markets such as Japan, South Korea, the US and the UK.
- The Karnali provincial government, agriculture offices and the Food Management and Trading Company are supporting cultivation, insurance and branding of Marsi rice.
