Agriculture · crop production data

Nepal's Major Crops

Nepal cultivates 13 major crops across roughly 3.06 million hectares. Rice is the largest by volume at about 5.46 million tonnes a year and provides close to 50% of the country's daily calories, while cardamom is the most valuable export crop by unit price.

From Terai paddy fields to mountain potato terraces, Nepal grows an extraordinary diversity of crops across 3.06 million hectares. Rice feeds half the country's calories; cardamom commands the highest export price per kilogram; and shade-grown Arabica coffee from the hills is finding its way to specialty roasters in Europe and Japan.

Crops profiled

food, cash, spice and industrial

Cereal crops

rice · maize · wheat · millet

Cash crops

tea and coffee

Cultivated area

3.06M ha

18.4M ha tracked in this dataset

Output by volume

Top crops by production

Ranked by thousand metric tonnes. Vegetables and rice dominate by weight; sugarcane and potato follow. Production figures are for the 2022/23 agricultural year.

Vegetables5,802 000 MT

Rice5,462 000 MT

Potato3,842 000 MT

Sugarcane3,628 000 MT

Maize2,476 000 MT

Wheat2,183 000 MT

Millet296 000 MT

Oilseeds164 000 MT

Cultivated area

Area share by crop category

How Nepal's farmland is divided - cereals (rice, maize, wheat, millet) still occupy the dominant share, while vegetables and cash crops carve out growing slices.

18M000 ha total

Cereal3,517 000 ha19.1%
Vegetable635 000 ha3.5%
Cash Crop13,637 000 ha74.2%
Spice90 000 ha0.5%
Industrial65 000 ha0.4%
Pulse281 000 ha1.5%
Oilseed161 000 ha0.9%

Complete dataset

All 13 crops - area, production & yield

MOALD Nepal Agricultural Statistics 2022/23. Area in thousand hectares, production in thousand metric tonnes.

Crop	Category	Area (000 ha)	Prod. (000 MT)	Yield (kg/ha)	Major regions	Seasons
Rice (Paddy)धान	Cereal	1,520	5,462	3,593	Terai (Jhapa, Morang, Sunsari, Chitwan, Nawalparasi, Kapilvastu) +1 more	Barkhe (monsoon, Jun–Nov, main)
Maize (Corn)मकै	Cereal	952	2,476	2,601	Mid-Hills (Dailekh, Surkhet, Palpa, Syangja) +1 more	Main season: March–August
Wheatगहुँ	Cereal	763	2,183	2,861	Terai (Rupandehi, Nawalparasi, Bardia, Kanchanpur) +1 more	Winter crop: Oct–March
Potatoआलु	Vegetable	271	3,842	14,176	Hills (Sindhupalchowk, Dolakha, Solukhumbu, Mustang, Jumla) +1 more	Spring/Summer: Feb–Jul (hills)
Vegetables (all)तरकारी	Vegetable	364	5,802	15,939	Kathmandu Valley (Bhaktapur, Lalitpur) +2 more	Year-round depending on altitude
Sugarcaneउखु	Industrial	65	3,628	55,815	Terai (Sunsari, Sarlahi, Nawalparasi, Rupandehi, Kapilvastu, Banke, Bardiya)	Planted: February–March; Harvested: Dec–March
Gingerअदुवा Top 10 producer globally	Spice	17	301	17,706	Palpa, Syangja, Ilam, Doti, Dadeldhura	Planted: March–April; Harvested: Nov–Jan
Large Cardamom (Alainchi)अलैँची 3rd largest producer globally (after Guatemala and India)	Spice	73	10	137	Ilam, Taplejung, Panchthar, Terhathum, Solukhumbu (Eastern Hills)	Perennial; harvest: Sept–Nov
Teaचिया	Cash Crop	10,037	28	2,791	Ilam, Taplejung, Panchthar (orthodox CTC+orthodox) +1 more	First flush: March–April
Coffee (Arabica)कफी	Cash Crop	3,600	1.2	333	Gulmi, Syangja, Palpa, Lalitpur, Kavre (Hills shade-grown)	Harvest: Nov–Jan
Millet (Finger millet)कोदो	Cereal	282	296	1,050	Mid-Hills (Kaski, Gorkha, Tanahu, Lamjung, Jumla)	Monsoon crop: June–November
Oilseeds (Mustard, Rapeseed)तोरी/रायो	Oilseed	161	164	1,019	Terai and inner Terai +1 more	Winter crop: Oct–March
Pulses (Lentil, Soybean, Black-eyed pea)दाल	Pulse	281	283	1,007	Terai (all districts) +1 more	Winter (lentil, winter pea): Oct–March

Source: MOALD Nepal Agricultural Statistics 2022/23. All area and production figures are in thousands.

High-value exports

Nepal's specialty crop spotlights

Three crops that punch far above their weight - each earning premium prices on global markets because of where and how they are grown.

Spice · Eastern Hills

Cardamom

अलैँची · Alainchi

Global rank: 3rd; producer worldwide
Households: 150,000+; income-dependent

Nepal is the world's third-largest producer of large cardamom (Amomum subulatum), after Guatemala and India. Grown under alder-shade trees in the Eastern Himalayan foothills of Ilam, Taplejung and Panchthar, Nepali cardamom is Nepal's most valuable agricultural export by unit price - earning NPR 15–20 billion annually. Over 90% is exported to India, then re-exported globally.

The alder-shade cultivation system is both economically and ecologically productive - the alder trees fix nitrogen, prevent erosion, and supply firewood for drying the cardamom pods.

Cash crop · Ilam

Tea

चिया · Chiya

Top grade price: USD 300/kg; first-flush Himalayan
Production: ~28,000 MT; per year

Ilam district's premium orthodox tea - grown at 1,000–2,000 m on the slopes of the Himalayan foothills - is Nepal's answer to Darjeeling. The National Tea and Coffee Development Board (NTCDB) certifies production. First-flush Himalayan teas from Ilam can fetch up to USD 300 per kilogram on specialty markets in Europe and Japan.

Nepal Tea is increasingly marketed as a distinct origin, not just a Darjeeling-style product. Three harvest flushes per year: first flush (March–April), second flush (June–July) and autumn flush (September–October).

Cash crop · Hills

Coffee

कफी · Kafi (Arabica)

Cultivation area: 3,600 ha; growing ~15%/year
Elevation: 1,000–1,800 m; shade-grown Arabica

Nepal produces specialty Arabica coffee at 1,000–1,800 m elevation under shade trees in the mid-hills districts of Gulmi, Syangja, Palpa, Lalitpur and Kavre. The Coffee Production Association of Nepal (CPAN) has helped certify organically-grown high-altitude coffee.

Exports to Europe, Japan and the USA are growing at pace - cultivation area is expanding at roughly 15% per year. Nepal's coffee is a genuine specialty niche: small-farm, shade-grown, high-altitude and increasingly organic-certified.

Food security

The food that Nepal runs on

Three cereals and one pulse-bowl underpin Nepali food culture and caloric security - and explain why rice imports and lentil imports are perennial policy concerns.

National dish

Dal-Bhat

दाल भात - rice with lentil soup

Dal-bhat (rice + lentil soup) is Nepal's national daily staple, eaten at least twice a day in most households across all regions. "Dal-bhat power, 24 hour" is a trekker's proverb, but it describes a real nutritional cornerstone: the combination of lysine-rich lentils and methionine-rich rice forms a complete protein.

Lentil production covers ~70% of domestic demand - black lentil (mas) and small red lentil (masuro) are most consumed. Nepal imports significant quantities of lentils from India and Australia to bridge the gap.

Rice - ~90% self-sufficient

Nepal grows 5.46 million tonnes of paddy rice per year - providing roughly 50% of daily caloric intake. The Terai produces over 85% of national paddy output. Despite large production, Nepal is a net rice importer; the ~10% gap is filled by imports from India, partly due to quality preferences and regional distribution challenges.

Wheat - import-dependent

Domestic wheat production (2.18 million tonnes) covers only ~60% of demand. The remainder is imported from India. Wheat roti (flatbread) is the daily bread of the Terai and is increasingly replacing millet in the hills. This import dependence makes Nepal's food security sensitive to Indian wheat export policy.

Maize - hills staple and feed

Maize (2.48 million tonnes) is the primary food crop of Nepal's mid-hills, the staple grain for roughly 30% of the population. It also serves as animal feed and is the base grain for traditional hill spirits (raksi). Hybrid seed adoption has lifted yields significantly over the past decade.

Rice production

5.46M MT

50% of daily calories · Terai dominant

Potato yield

14,176 kg/ha

highest yield crop · mountain staple

Cardamom export

NPR 15–20B

per year · highest unit value

Tea top price

USD 300/kg

first-flush Ilam orthodox

Back to overview →

Agriculture Overview

Regions, food security metrics and the full agricultural picture of Nepal.

See exports →

Nepal Trade Data

Where Nepal's cardamom, tea and coffee go - and what comes back.

Questions

Nepal crop production, answered

What is the most produced crop in Nepal?+

Rice (paddy) is Nepal's largest crop by production volume at about 5.46 million tonnes per year, with vegetables and rice dominating national output by weight. Sugarcane and potato follow.

How much of Nepal's calories come from rice?+

Rice provides roughly 50% of Nepal's daily caloric intake, making it the country's most important staple. Over 85% of national paddy output is grown in the Terai.

What is Nepal's most valuable export crop?+

Large cardamom (alainchi) is Nepal's most valuable agricultural export by unit price, earning NPR 15–20 billion annually. Nepal is the world's third-largest cardamom producer after Guatemala and India.

Which crop has the highest yield in Nepal?+

Potato has the highest yield among Nepal's major crops at about 14,176 kg per hectare, and is a key staple in mountain areas.

How many major crops does Nepal grow and on how much land?+

This dataset profiles 13 major crops of Nepal, grown across roughly 3.06 million hectares of cultivated land, spanning cereals, vegetables, cash crops, spices and industrial crops.

Sources & data note

Production and area figures are for the 2022/23 agricultural year from MOALD Nepal. Yield figures are calculated. Export values are indicative. Tea and coffee production data note: the data column uses thousands of metric tonnes - actual production for tea is approximately 28,000 MT and for coffee approximately 1,200 MT. Commentary is Amarnepal's own.