Daijiworld Media Network – Udupi

Udupi, Oct 26: Unseasonal and relentless rainfall has thrown paddy farmers in Udupi district into distress, halting harvesting operations and sparking fears of massive crop losses across several parts of the region.

Farmers say rice mills are refusing to buy wet paddy as fields remain waterlogged, while harvesting machinery lies idle amid rising operational costs.

Harvesting had begun only recently when the district started experiencing daily spells of rain. Farmers noted that, in previous years, showers around Deepavali would last only a day or two. This year, however, the rain has continued well after the festival, leaving fields drenched and harvesting work paralysed.

“Every year fewer people take up paddy cultivation,” lamented local growers. “Now, even those of us who continue farming are finding it hard to recover what we’ve invested. After all the hard work, it feels as if the food never reaches our mouths,” growers say.

A few weeks ago, harvesting machines had arrived in Udupi from Tamil Nadu, Gangavati, and Haveri to assist with large-scale harvesting. Although operations began smoothly, persistent downpours for more than a week have forced machinery to stop.

“The harvesters have been standing idle for days,” said paddy farmer Suresh. “If this continues, the rental costs will rise and add to our financial burden.”

In several low-lying areas, continuous rainfall has caused paddy stalks to bend and lodge in the soil, making machine harvesting difficult. Farmers said the falling grains are reducing yields drastically.

“Nearly 30% of the crop harvested so far has already been damaged by the rain,” said Kudi Srinivas Bhat, general secretary of the Udupi District Farmers’ Association. “If the downpour continues for another week, we could be looking at losses of up to 50%.”

He added that many farmers had deliberately waited until after Deepavali to start harvesting, expecting dry weather. “Now they’re caught completely off guard. To make matters worse, rice mills lack sufficient drying facilities. Even farmers who’ve managed to harvest are unable to sell because mills are refusing to buy wet paddy,” Bhat explained.

With forecasts predicting more rain in the coming days, anxiety among Udupi’s paddy farmers continues to grow. If the weather fails to clear soon, the district may face one of its worst seasonal setbacks in recent years — a devastating blow to an already struggling agricultural sector.