Rainfall brings mixed emotions among Saptari farmers

By Binay Karna

Kalyanpur (Saptari), Oct. 5: The recent rainfall in Saptari, arriving shortly after the Bijaya Dashami festival, has brought much-needed relief to farmers, though its impact has been mixed depending on the timing of their paddy plantation.

Farmers who had been struggling with drought due to limited irrigation facilities are rejoicing, as the rain has revived parched fields. Meanwhile, those with irrigated lands who planted paddy early in Asar (June–July) are facing some losses as their nearly mature crops have been affected.

Jagdish Sah, a farmer from Shambhunath Municipality–7, explained the situation: “For farmers who planted paddy later, around the end of Saun (July–August) or the start of Bhadra (August–September), this rain has been a blessing. But for us, who planted early, the rainfall has caused damage to crops nearly ready for harvest.”

On the other hand, Ramratan Yadav from Rupani–4 expressed his happiness. 

“Cracks had started forming in the soil and the fields were drying out. The rain came just in time and now we expect a good harvest,” he said. According to Kishun Deo Raut, Chief of the Agriculture Knowledge Centre in Saptari, the rainfall has had a generally positive effect across the district. 

“Most farmers here rely on rain-fed agriculture. The prolonged heat had dried up many fields, so this rainfall has provided much-needed relief and is expected to improve overall paddy yields this season,” he noted.