Untimely rains likely to damage crops fear farmers

Kolkata: Untimely rainfall has added to the worries of farmers in several South Bengal districts.

In various places, rains have hampered potatoes and paddy cultivation in several districts.

Farmers have also complained that the rain has slowed down the pace of harvesting as the fields have become wet and it would be difficult for the heavy combine harvesters to enter paddy fields.

Farmers are apprehending damages in Aman cultivation in Bankura. With the weatherman predicting more rain in the coming days, the farmers are worried.

Many said that it would cause further flattening of the crop resulting in loss of yield and discoloration of the grains.

The state Agriculture department had recently advised the farmers to cut off and lift Aman paddy from agricultural land, if it is 80 per cent ripe and store it at a secured place to protect it from rain.

The advisory came in the backdrop of an alert of rainfall in the coastal areas of South 24-Parganas, North 24-Parganas and East Midnapore as well as in West Midnapore, Howrah, Hooghly and East Burdwan districts. The Agriculture department has suggested the use of a combined harvester machine available at the custom hiring centres across the state for quick cutting of paddy.