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Farmers seek help as heavy water damage jeopardises harvest and livelihoods

BURI RAM - Farmers in many villages in Muang district are facing severe hardship from the impact of Storm Kalmaegi, which has brought heavy rainfall and strong winds that flattened rice fields just as crops reached full maturity.

The storm has left vast swathes of farmland in many villages in tambon Nong Tat inundated, with ripe rice stalks submerged in floodwaters.

Harvesting machines were unable to enter the fields due to standing water, and continuous rainfall has left farmers without dry places to spread and dry their grain. Attempts to dry rice along roads or open spaces have been thwarted by ongoing downpours

Thawatchai Naen-udon, a farmer from Khok Wat village in tambon Nong Tat, expressed deep concern over the situation.

”If the grain stays underwater for several more days, it will rot completely,” he said on Saturday. “This year’s rice crop is our only hope — for our family’s food, for selling to earn income, and to repay loans to the Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives (BAAC). If it’s all destroyed, I don’t know how we’ll manage.”

Mr Thawatchai urged the government and related agencies to urgently inspect the damage and provide compensation. “We didn’t expect this. It’s a natural disaster we can’t avoid,” he said. 

Another farmer, Thongkoon Chaemram, who cultivated over 10 rai of rice fields in the same tambon, said he had managed to harvest only 2 rai before the storm struck.

“The remaining fields were flattened by strong winds and continuous rain,” he said. “If the rain stops, we might still be able to salvage some of the crop. But if the rain persists, the rice will rot.”

He appealed for state assistance, saying many farmers were facing hardship and financial burden.

“We have invested in ploughing, fertiliser and seed, If everything is ruined, we’ll have nothing left. I just hope the government steps in to help,” said Mr Thongkoon. (Story continues below)

Another farmer said heavy rain had devastated his rice crop (photo above) in Muang Buri Ram. The crop was ready for harvest but the rain-soaked, seed-heavy heads are now under water.

If it does not drain off within the next couple of days the grain will begin to sprout, he said. If the water does drain and he can salvage some of the harvest he will still have water-soaked paddy that will require extensive drying out in the sun.

He will also receive far less per kilogramme when he eventually delivers it to the mill because of the damage and high remaining moisture content. (Story continues below)

Widespread damage

Tropical storm Kalmaegi made landfall in Ubon Ratchathani on Friday, unleashing heavy rain across the lower Northeast and causing widespread flooding and landslide damage.

The storm has since weakened to a tropical depression, but the Meteorological Department warned that heavy rain continues to affect the western Northeast, Central and Northern regions.

The low-pressure system now covers the western part of the Northeast and is expected to move across the upper Central and Northern regions in the coming days.

From Sunday through Monday, upper Thailand will continue to experience heavy and accumulated rainfall, raising the risk of flash floods, river overflows and landslides. Farmers have been urged to protect their crops from inundation if possible.

In addition to Buri Ram, key affected provinces include Ubon Ratchathani, Surin, Si Sa Ket, Roi Et, Yasothon and Amnat Charoen. Bangkok and adjacent provinces have also seen more rain.

In the North, Lamphun has been particularly hard hit. In Mae Tuen subdistrict Li district, flash floods inundated residential areas and left only one side of the main road passable.

Sukhothai is also facing severe flooding after water from the Mae Ramphan canal and Thung Thale Luang overflowed into Ban Kluai subdistrict.

Source : bangkokpost