Paddy ready but cyclone warning leaves farmers torn over whether to harvest

Farmers with ripened paddy fields are torn between harvesting now or waiting, after forecasts suggested a low-pressure system over the Bay of Bengal could strengthen into a cyclone.

According to the forecast, Koshi, Bagmati and Gandaki provinces are expected to see cloudy skies and scattered rain tomorrow, Wednesday, with possible snowfall in mountainous areas.

Meteorologists say it will rain across the country from Wednesday through Saturday.

The National Agriculture Environment Research Centre has urged farmers to finish storing ripened paddy by Tuesday, warning that the crop could be damaged.

According to agro-meteorologist Rameshwar Rimal at the centre, hail or rain on ripened paddy risks grains falling off and getting soaked, posing a risk of major economic loss. However, he said it is not yet possible to say for certain where the heavy rain will fall.

He suggested that farmers who still have paddy left to harvest wait until next week.

After the rain forecast, some farmers hurriedly harvested and brought in their paddy, while in many places harvesting is still pending. In Makawanpur, farmer Phaniraj Adhikari of Hetauda Sub-Metropolitan City-10's Hatiya field said he has been unable to decide whether to harvest around 12 kattha of paddy. Farmers along the fields on the banks of the Daraudi river in Gorkha are also rushing to bring in their paddy after Dashain.