Tamghas. Paddy crops worth Rs 50 million have been destroyed in Gulmi district due to unseasonal rains. Paddy was planted in 7,988 hectares of land in the district this year and it was estimated that 22,909 metric tonnes would be produced.

Information Officer at the Agriculture Knowledge Centre, Tikaram Neupane, said that 1,260 metric tonnes of paddy has been destroyed by the rainfall. The loss was Rs 50 million when calculated at the support price fixed by the government.

According to him, 40 percent of the paddy cultivated in 999 hectares of land in Chaurasi area, which is the largest producer of paddy in Gulmi, has been damaged. Similarly, paddy from 18 ropanis of harvested land belonging to Krishna Prasad Ghimire of Isma rural municipality-6 has also been damaged.

Similarly, another farmer, Nirajan Bhandari, has also harvested paddy in 19 ropanis of land. According to the locals, they have suffered more from natural disasters this year.