Farmers rush to harvest paddy amid changing weather forecast

ARGHAKHACHI:- Farmers in Arghakhanchi district are busy harvesting ripe paddy following the end of the Dashain festivities.

With forecasts of possible rainfall due to changing weather conditions, farmers have stepped up efforts to harvest, dry and safely store their ripened paddy.

Farmers have become increasingly concerned after the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology forecast a possible change in weather across various parts of the country from Wednesday.

According to the Department, the weather is expected to remain generally clear until Tuesday, but a low-pressure system developing over the Bay of Bengal could affect Nepal from Wednesday.

With the possibility of rainfall coinciding with the peak paddy harvesting season, farmers are rushing to protect their mature crops.

Rainfall in Ashoj already damaged paddy crops in various parts of the district. As the rain caused losses during the ripening and harvesting periods, farmers fear that another spell of bad weather could further damage their crops.

Farmers have also complained of difficulties in finding farm labourers, as the harvesting season coincides with the busy festival period. They said the cost of paddy cultivation had increased due to rising expenses on seeds, fertilisers, irrigation, ploughing equipment, labour and transportation.

Rem Bahadur Khadka, a farmer from Arukhore in Malarani Rural Municipality-5, said farmers were under pressure to bring in their paddy as weather forecasts and festival-related commitments had coincided.

According to him, farmers are facing the dual challenge of protecting mature paddy from rain and completing the harvest on time amid a shortage of farm labourers.

Pushkarnath Bajande, a farmer from Kimdanda in Ward No. 8 of Sandhikharka Municipality, said the period between Dashain and Tihar was one of the busiest times for farmers.

As paddy harvesting and storage must be completed during this period, the workload increases alongside festival preparations, he said.

Buddhi Raj Ghimire, chief of the Agriculture Knowledge Centre, Arghakhanchi, has urged farmers not to rush into harvesting unripe paddy, saying weather conditions could improve in the coming days.

He advised farmers to harvest their crops only after the paddy had fully ripened and to plan harvesting activities according to prevailing  weather conditions.