Marsi paddy ripening turns Jumla's fields golden

As the indigenous marsi paddy nears harvest, the fields along the banks of the Tila and Hima rivers in Jumla have turned a deep golden and brown.

Marsi, which local farmers have protected for generations, is closely linked to Jumla's food production, livelihoods and cultural identity. It is grown in all eight local levels of the district. The main production areas include Chhumchaur in Patarasi, Lachhu Julo in Tatopani, Shera Julo in Chandannath, and the fields around Sinja, Hima and Tila. Chhumchaur, known as one of the highest places in the world where paddy is grown, is among the areas where marsi is cultivated up to about 3,050 metres above sea level.

The district has about 2,888 hectares under paddy cultivation, of which nearly 37 percent, or about 1,068 hectares, is under marsi. The remaining roughly 1,820 hectares are mainly planted with improved varieties of paddy.

In fiscal year 2080/81, about 3,000 metric tonnes of marsi paddy were produced in the district. In the same period, about 175 metric tonnes of marsi rice were sent out of the district.