Kathmandu, July 6 -- The delayed and sluggish advance of the southwest monsoon has begun taking a visible toll on Nepal's agriculture, with fresh government data showing that paddy transplantation has been completed on only 32.38 percent of the country's cultivated area as of Monday.

The figure marks a significant slowdown compared to the same period last year, when 45 percent of paddy fields had already been transplanted. Delayed transplantation leaves young seedlings vulnerable to peak pest infestations and unfavourable weather, slowing plant growth and ultimately reducing productivity.

According to the latest data from the Department of Agriculture under the Ministry of Agriculture, paddy has so far been transplanted on 443,595 hecta...