Summer showers coupled with strong winds have affected the harvesting and procurement of paddy in Kuttanad.
Large tracts of fields with standing crops, including those ready for harvest, have been submerged in water. Farmers say that the rain has flattened matured crops in several hectares in the region. Besides, the rain drenched several tonnes of harvested paddy stored in paddy polders for shifting to rice mills. The farmers are forced to keep the harvested paddy in polders or in open due to a lack of proper storage facilities.
Meanwhile, a number of padasekharams (paddy fields) in the region have been forced to delay harvesting as combine harvesters are getting stuck on the field due to waterlogging. The district has been receiving moderate to heavy showers for more than a week. With the weather agency predicting more rain in the coming days, the farmers are a worried lot.
