It is the end of the planting season in Assam, but the fields are still dry. This is unusual in the middle of July as it is the Kharif season. In Assam, it's called the sali paddy.
The sali paddy saplings should have been transplanted by now, but to transplant you need at least five cm of stagnant water in the fields. Instead, the farmers here are battling cracked earth because there's barely a week left for this transplantation to happen.
The area this sali paddy covers in Assam is about 25 lakh hectares which is going to affect around 14 lakh farmers.
Field officers of the Agriculture Department have virtually given up hope for this season.
"There is no alternative at this moment because the season is already over," said Nripen Chandra Das, Agriculture Development Officer.
What may follow is rise in food prices, but the government says they are prepared.
