Banke, October 8
Wednesday’s rain has caused heavy damage to the paddy crop in Banke. In many places, the paddy has been flattened, causing problems for farmers.
Jaman Singh Bali, manager of the Sakar Agriculture Cooperative in Rapti Sonari, said the rain, accompanied by strong winds, severely damaged the ripened seed paddy.
According to him, the rain has damaged seed paddy that farmers had planted on 150 bigha of land. As the damage came just when the crop needed tending, there will be a shortage of paddy seed for next year.
The cooperative distributes seed to farmers for seed paddy cultivation. Farmers produce the seed paddy and sell it back to the cooperative, Manager Bali said.
He complained that although the paddy had grown well this year thanks to good rainfall, the rain caused damage at the crucial time of tending.
Sujita Sharma, information officer at the Agriculture Knowledge Centre, Banke, said the rain, which came just as the crop was ripening and ready to be stored, caused major damage to the paddy.
She said that while reports of rain damage to the paddy crop have come in from various parts of Banke, exact details of the losses have yet to be collected.
Of Banke’s 54,526 hectares of arable land, paddy is usually planted on 33,570 hectares. This year, paddy was planted on 33,503 hectares, Sharma said.
-RSS
