Kathamndu May 5.

Farmers in Banke and Bardiya districts have harvested wheat crops amidst the coronavirus lockdown. According to Agricultural Knowledge Center Banke’s chief Sagar Dhakal, this year in Banke wheat crops was cultivated in 2,167 hectares of land and in Bardiya it was done in 1,936 hectares of land. The primary calculation is that 6,528 metric tonnes of wheat was produced in Banke followed by 6,000 metric tonnes in Bardiya this time. However, the production is likely to be slightly less than in the previous year due to more winter rainfall. But farmer Pahadi Chaudhary of Rajapur said though they could gather wheat crops amidst adverse situation, they face problems in the sale and distribution of products. This year, the government has fixed Rs 3,015 as the support price of wheat per quintal. Some suppliers are purchasing wheat in less than the support price to promote exorbitant price, it is said. Now, farmers are preparing to cultivate rice plantation.