Farmers bear Cyclone Yaas brunt in Bihar

PIRMOKAM (KATIHAR): The 32-hour incessant rain and stormy wind in the wake of cyclone Yaas have broken the backbone of farmers of this panchayat in the Falka block of Katihar district. Farmers of Purnia and Araria are also hit as their cash crops like maize and jute have been destroyed due to waterlogging in farmland.
The kisan salahkars of the panchayats concerned have started assessing the damage caused to the standing or harvested maize crop in Purnia division.The farmers, in turn, have been hoping that the government would announce compensation.
Normally, maize is harvested and sold in the mandis of Gulabbag and Gedabadi, or to the local traders having linkage with the mandis, by mid-May. However, labour shortage due to their migration to Punjab delayed the process and made farmers vulnerable to cyclone.
The tale of Guddi, a farmer from Chandwa village, is revealing. On Wednesday night, Guddi had last seen the heaps of dry maize ‘bhutta (cobs)’ with their ears/husks pealed, which he had abandoned in the plots of land near Nahaki village, thinking that the cyclone will be weak.
He returned to his village, somewhat satisfied that he will get good returns on the maize he had cultivated. On Friday morning, he saw that the heaps of cobs were either submerged in water or had thigh-deep accumulated rainwater.
Several other farmers in Purnia, Araria and Katihar districts also faced similar experience. The conditions were the same in six villages of Pirmokam panchayat – Pirmokam, Telghi, Barbaria, Nahaki, Darmahi and Janakpur.