Rains ravage crops in Tehrathum

By Thakur Senehang,Tehrathum, Nov. 3: Incessant rain over the past four days has caused severe damage to crops in Tehrathum district, leaving farmers distressed.

Crops such as paddy, millet, and maize, along with vegetables and fruits, have been extensively damaged due to prolonged waterlogging. In some areas, landslides and floods have further washed away arable land, said locals.

In most of the municipalities of the district, including Myanglung, Phedap, Laligurans, Chhathar, Menchhyayem, Aathrai, the faces of farmers are filled with despair and anxiety due to the continuous rain. 

Sharmila Tamang, a farmer from Myanglung Municipality–9, said, “We planted late due to drought and now, during harvest time weather has turned unfavorable; we are worried about food security.”

Farmers said that the drought during plantation season caused a delay in plantation, and now the incessant rains during the harvest time have completely damaged the rice, maize, and millet crops. 

Similarly, Rajkumar Fudong, another farmer from Terhathum, said, "Earlier plantation got delayed due to drought and now, the crops ready to harvest are destroyed by rain."

He urged the government and local levels to immediately arrange for compensation and relief. The incessant rain has seriously impacted the local economy of the district. 

Traders and consumers are concerned about food shortages and price hikes after the decline in paddy and millet production. 

Agricultural experts said that this will negatively impact the local market, consumption and cash flow.

According to the Agricultural Knowledge Centre, Terhathum, rice cultivation is being carried out on ​​about 7,000 hectares of land in the district. 

This year's untimely rain has affected hundreds of farmers in Myanglung, Laligurans, Chhathar, Menchhyayem, Phedap and Aathrai rural municipalities. 

Preliminary reports indicate that not only crops but also sheds, livestock and road infrastructure have been damaged in many places.

According to agricultural technicians, precipitation patterns have changed significantly; we have high precipitation over a short period of time, which has negatively affected agricultural yield lately.  According to them, as the traditional farming system is no longer working, there is an increasing need to adopt climate-friendly agricultural systems. 

They suggested that the government should focus on making the crop insurance programme effective and providing technical assistance to farmers.

Rakesh Fudong, Ward Chairman of Myanglung Municipality-9 in Tehrathum, said, “The suffering of farmers is serious. We are discussing the issue of immediate relief, seed and fertiliser distribution in the executive meeting. Relief and rehabilitation programmes will be introduced after the damage assessment.” 

He urged the provincial and federal governments to formulate a long-term security policy in the 

agricultural sector.