The recent heavy rain coupled with the flow of floodwaters from the eastern side has hampered the harvest of paddy cultivated in the additional (second) crop season in several fields of Kuttanad.
Large tracts of paddy fields with standing crops, including those ready for harvest, have submerged in water following the unexpected downpour. Farmers in over half a dozen fields have been forced to postpone harvest as plants lie flat in the mud. Though measures have been taken to dewater the fields, farmers said that they would have to wait at least two to three days for the fields to dry up.
“The rain has subsided and the water level also started to recede, but the field remains wet. Conditions are not yet ready for deploying machines as they will get stuck in the mud. Chances of ripe paddy sprouting are a real probability,” said a paddy farmer from Edathua.
Farmers have undertaken paddy farming on 8,765 hectares in the additional season in the district, a major portion of which is in Kuttanad.
Meanwhile, the downpour also affected the preparation of fields for the upcoming ‘puncha’ (first) crop season in the region. The puncha season witnesses the most extensive acreage of paddy cultivation in Kuttanad.
The region saw around a dozen bund breaches in the past two weeks. Almost all the breaches were reported in the outer bunds of fields being prepared for sowing. On Tuesday, the outer bund of a 470-acre field at Veliyanad reported three breaches. The breaches happened while tilling was being done. Earlier on Sunday, the outer bund of a 1,400-acre field at Neelamperoor was breached. Attempts to dewater the field have not succeeded yet.
