JOIN USThe untimely rain in Kodagu has affected the harvesting of coffee and paddy. The cloudy weather in the last few days and the rain has made the farmers worry about saving the harvested crops.
The farmers are already facing a shortage of labourers in the district. The heavy rainfall during the monsoon had affected coffee and pepper.
The small growers have completed the harvest while the paddy farmers in Kodlipete, Shanivarasanthe and Somwarpet are struggling to dry the harvested coffee and paddy.
"If the coffee beans are dried under the sun, then quality can be maintained. Otherwise, it will affect the quality," said the growers.
The harvesting of the paddy is in progress in the taluk. The rain has affected the harvested paddy.
'We are fearing losing the entire crop," said Lakshmi Shetty of Handli village.
Paddy is cultivated on 7,600 hectares of land in the taluk. The delay in rainfall and vagaries of nature had also affected the paddy cultivation.
Major damage had occurred at Shanthalli, Soorlabbi, Kumbaragadige, Kikkaralli and Mankya villages owing to natural calamities in the last three years wherein paddy fields were covered by a heap of mud in the landslides.
"This year, the harvest is good. However, owing to rain, we may have to incur a loss,' said a farmer, Ramesh.
"The vagaries of nature are affecting the cultivated paddy. Many have already converted paddy fields into coffee and arecanut plantations," he added.
Coffee is cultivated on 28,590 hectares of land in the taluk, while Arabica coffee is cultivated on 22,900 hectares and Robusta on 5,690 hectares. If the rain and cloudy weather continue for a week, then the growers will face a major problem in drying the harvested beans.
Coffee Growers' Association president Mohan Bopanna said, "Owing to natural calamities, the growers could not reap the harvest last year. The shortage of labourers is also affecting the coffee and paddy sectors."