Udupi: Unforeseen Showers Hamper Paddy Harvesting in District
Pics: Durga Digitals
Daijiworld Media Network—Udupi (RD/CN)
Udupi, Oct 15: Although the paddy harvest in the district is on in full swing, the farmers are distressed at the unexpected rainfall over the past few days. Showers in the ‘kharif’ season dampen the spirits of farmers as they cannot leave their harvested crop in the fields overnight. A shortage of farm hands is also a nagging worry this season.
The farmer fraternity has no one to lend them a sympathetic ear despite thousands of families being solely dependent on paddy cultivation for their livelihood. Even neighbours are not as helpful as they used to be.
The farm hands that would accept grains in lieu of wages, have now begun demanding money. Rivalry between local farm hands and migrant labourers from neighbouring districts has worsened the situation.
The unexpected showers have forced the farmers to segregate the paddy and hay in the same field. The farmers in the coastal belt have always been at a disadvantage through successive governments, in comparison with their counterparts in Uttara Kannada region. Whether chief minister B S Yeddyurappa, who had taken his oath in the name of the farming fraternity, will be able to solve their problems, is a million dollar question.