Senjam Khunou stares at paddy failure
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, October 16 2022:
Farmers of Senjam Khunou in Imphal West are staring at a grim situation as paddy cultivation is likely to fail this year due to shortage of water, said Phumlou Gram Panchayat Ward Member Taorem Inaocha today.
Due to shortage of irrigation water, acres of paddy field at Senjam Khunou Loukol may not yield much this year.
When paddy crops in other areas are almost ready for cultivation, most of the crops at the Loukol (field) are yet to bear fruits.
Inaocha said the farmers/cultivators have appealed to the owners of the fields/farms to not collect Loushal (share of paddy collected by the owner at the end of cultivation) this year.
They have also appealed to the owners of the fields not to take the land back and let them further use it.
Senjam Loukol has about 2,000 Paris of paddy fields in the north, south and east of Senjam Khunou.
Inaocha said short rainfall and lack of a proper irrigation system is the cause for this catastrophe.
Fields at Senjam Khunou are irrigated by water from Sahirok river.
However, with the river running thin this year coupled with a damaged mini dam, irrigation had failed.
The farmers/cultivators had spent thousands of rupees hoping for a successful cultivation, yet due to their "innocence" they had not availed any crop insurance scheme, Inaocha said appealing to the owners of the fields to visit the Loukol to observe the situation the farmers are facing and exempt Loushal this year.
Inaocha also appealed to the Government to look into the situation and provide all possible relief including seeds of winter crops.
The farmers have also requested the Government and authorities concerned to rebuild or repair the broken mini dam at the earliest.