Kathmandu, Aug. 25 -- Paddy transplantation has been completed on 95 percent of the 1.37 million hectares of farmland across the country, according to final data released by the Agriculture Ministry on Monday.

Experts warn that a modest drop in output could further strain an economy already weighed down by weaker productivity. Transplantation this year is down three percentage points from last year, when 98.54 percent of available fields were planted.

The ministry said transplantation was carried out on 1.3 million hectares, leaving 70,173 hectares fallow-most of it in Madhesh Province, which alone accounted for 50,518 hectares.

Based on the national average yield of 3.98 tonnes per hectare, this shortfall translates to an estimated lo...