Huge demand for track harvesters as muddy fields hinder paddy harvest

Farmers in Karimnagar struggle to harvest paddy crops due to muddy fields caused by recent rains, leading to a sharp rise in demand for track harvesters. Service charges have gone up, and many farmers face delays in securing machines

Karimnagar: With paddy fields turning muddy following recent rains, farmers in the erstwhile Karimnagar district are struggling to harvest their crops, leading to a surge in demand for track (chain) harvesters.

Normally, farmers depend on tyre-based harvesters, but such machines cannot operate effectively in soggy fields. As a result, demand for track harvesters has shot up, and their owners have hiked service charges, citing the difficult field conditions.

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The expansion of the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project has boosted water availability in the district, encouraging many farmers to switch to paddy cultivation over other crops. Paddy was grown in more than nine lakh acres this Vanakalam season, and the crop was in good condition until Cyclone Montha struck during the peak harvest period, dashing farmers’ hopes.

In several areas, crops have lodged, while in others, sand deposits have damaged fields. Farmers say using normal harvesters has become impossible due to muddy terrain, forcing them to depend on track harvesters, which are now in short supply.

Owners have taken advantage of the situation by increasing the rental from Rs 3,000 to Rs 3,500 per hour, claiming more time is needed to complete harvesting. Farmers now spend nearly double the usual time, with two to three hours required per acre instead of one to one-and-a-half hours, pushing up costs by around Rs 5,000 per acre.

Tractors, too, are unable to reach the fields to transport the harvested paddy, forcing harvesters to make repeated trips to the field banks, which further delays the process.

Farmer Gangadhar from Kothapalli told Telangana Today that despite high costs, he was unable to secure a track harvester due to heavy demand. “Owners are charging high, and even then there is no guarantee that the entire crop will be harvested without wastage,” he said.

Another farmer, Sudhakar, said that paddy grains often fall in the fields during harvesting with track machines, while a considerable portion of the straw also goes to waste.