Incessant rain batters standing vegetables to the ground
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, May 30 2025: The relentless rainfall has dealt a severe blow to farmers, with crops inundated at many farms.

P Shyamjit, a farmer from Uyumpok, said that farmers from Uyompok and neighboring villages, including Lamboikhul, Nongshum, Tiger Camp, and Taret Khul, have been cultivating seasonal crops such as tomatoes, corn, watermelon, gourd, cucumber, peas, capsicum, green chillies after harvesting rice to boost their income.

However, these crops have been submerged due to the relentless rainfall, leaving farmers worried about the impact on their livelihood, he said.

Incessant rain batters standing vegetables to the ground

Saying that farms adjacent to the Khamenlok River have been severely affected as rising water levels have submerged the crops, he added that some farmers managed to salvage a portion of their produce by plucking the crops from underwater.

He said their farms are situated at a lower elevation than the Khamenlok River, making them prone to flooding.

Despite pushing for the dredging of the Khamenlok River, the lack of action by the authorities leaves them vulnerable to flooding and problems every time it rains, he said.

Saying that crops grown in about 30 pari (a local unit of measuring land) might have been damaged at Uyumpok alone due to flooding, based on their estimates, he expressed concern that the cucumber, watermelon, and gourd they managed to salvage from the water may also perish if not sold quickly.

The farmer said they're struggling to sell the vegetables even at discounted rates.

Cucumber and watermelon are not selling even at Rs 20 per kilogram, and gourd isn't faring any better, with no buyers even at Rs 15 per kilogram, he said and added that farmers at Tiger Camp, Nongshum, and Taret Khul are facing similar challenges.

Saying that farmers at Uyumpok and neighboring villages had suffered from drought earlier this year, he appealed to the authorities to look into the matter and address their grievances.