Early rain - a good start for farmers in eastern Bhutan

Source, Farmers welcome early rains in east (Bhutan Observer)

4 April 2010

The early rains this year have signalled a good start to the farming communities in the east.

Most farmers in the eastern part of the country, who grow maize as their staple crop, often go through jittery times when monsoon rains are erratic.

For Wangchuk, a farmer in Pemagatshel, who takes up share cropping of maize in his neighbour’s field each year, delayed monsoon rain is nightmarish. Not this time. Most farmers in the east, who grow maize, would have sown their seeds weeks back.

Farmers in Pemagatshel sow maize by the second week of February, right after the festivities of lunar New Year. Wangchuk said, “Timely rain is crucial for the crop, but we have to keep faith and start sowing it even if there is no sign of rain on the horizon.

It is a bit of a gamble.” According to him, last year, the summer maize nearly failed in Pemagatshel because of lack of rain during the crucial growth period. A last-minute shower saved the crop from wilting to the point of no return.

This year is altogether a different story. The monsoon has hit the region early. Farmers, however, say that while they are happy at the moment, excessive rains do not spell well for the crop. It has been raining in the region for the last two weeks, and there is no sign of respite.

Rainfall records since the late 1990s show that this March is, by far, one of the wettest in two decades. Pemagatshel received more than 104 mm of rain in March this year. 2009 recorded about 41 mm of rainfall in the corresponding period.

Another farmer, Sherab, said that the beginning of monsoon is normally accompanied by hailstorms, but there was minimal storm this year which is also a relief for the farmers. “Hailstorms normally mark the beginning of the rainy season. Such storms often wipe out mandarin and mango blossoms leading to poor yields, but such a storm has spared us for the moment,” he said.

Other eastern dzongkhags are also experiencing similar rainfall this year. The persistent rainfall has caused some minor roadblocks, but the roads in the region are still open. Despite the continuous rainfall for days, there were no reports of serious roadblocks in the east so far.

However, meteorological sources say that the entire north-eastern region of the sub-continent can expect more rains in the coming four to five days. This is surely an indication of the arrival of early monsoon this year.

It spells well for the farmers in general. Early monsoon is also an indication of a wet year ahead.

By Gyembo Namgyal