Rainfall induced by Cyclone Hudhud in India has destroyed paddy in huge amount in the far-western region of Nepal.

Farmers had harvested rice but were yet to collect it from the fields and then came the sudden rain, causing loss to them.

"The paddy fields have been inundated," said Ram Sworup Chaudhary of Gadariya, Kailali. "Earlier, the paddy was swept away by floods and now rain has destroyed it," he added.

Paddy planted in around 10 bigha land had been swept away in the floods that occurred mid-August in Kailali district, leaving farmers' here at their wit's end.

Rewati Joshi, an officer at the District Agriculture Development Office, Kailali, said the recent rainfall damaged paddy in huge amount.

According to the office's data, of the total paddy planted in 71,000 hectare of land, farmers have harvested only 7 per cent so far. Approximately 2.5 lakh metric tonnes of paddy is produced every year in the district.

But this year, the farmers are going to incure a huge loss, earlier floods and now rainfall have destroyed the crop.

All nine districts, including Kailali and Kanchanpur, of the region were hit hard due to rainfall. "The sudden rain has put farmers in despair," said Rajesh KC, crop specialist of Far-western Regional Agriculture Directorate, Dipayal. Temperatures in western hill areas have suddenly plummeted, making folks here ill.

Meanwhile, paddy in large quantity in dozen more village development committees of Saptari was destroyed due to rain yesterday night.

The crop grown in Bhutahi, Tarahi, Pato, Mallekpur, Aurahi, Khadgapur, Narghau among other VDCs was destroyed.

Paddy in 25 bigha land in Bhutahi ward No 5, 6 and 7 has submerged, said farmer Udit Narayan Chaudhary.

Similarly, paddy in Mallekpur-5, Khurhuriya area, was completely destroyed due to rain, said another local farmer Tej Narayan Yadav.

Source - http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/