The Bengal government has directed officials in south Bengal districts to ask farmers to harvest their ripe crops, mainly boro paddy, as soon as possible following the Met department’s forecast of heavy rainfall from Tuesday under the impact of Cyclone Asani.

Sources in the agriculture department said they were worried about farmers who cultivated boro paddy as around 50 per cent of their produce were still lying on the field and the state would face a loss if the peasants were unable to get their crops home at the right time.

“We have held meetings with officials in the districts and directed them to cooperate with the farmers to harvest boro paddy as soon as possible on a war footing. We have also asked them to get in touch with harvester owners to start the process of harvesting. Paddy that is 70 per cent ripe needs to be harvested and stored properly,” said Pradip Majumdar, the agricultural advisor to chief minister Mamata Banerjee.

Agriculture department officials said Bengal farmers cultivate boro paddy on around 20 lakh hectares and around half of the paddy was yet to be harvested.

In districts such as East Burdwan — which is known as the rice bowl of the state — around 49 per cent boro paddy is yet to be harvested.

Priyanka Singla, the East Burdwan district magistrate, said officials of the agriculture department had been working to make sure the harvesting of the entire crop was completed on time.

“In our district, around 51 per cent of the boro paddy has been harvested so far and agriculture department officials are trying to help farmers who may be facing problems harvesting their produce,” Singla said.

However, a section of farmers in districts like Bankura, East Burdwan and Birbhum said they were facing an acute scarcity of labourers and harvesters as many migrant labourers have left for other states and such a huge quantity of man and machine was not available at once and at such short notice.

“I have cultivated paddy on three bighas but cannot manage to get eight labourers to harvest the crop. There are not enough harvester machines and the ones that are available can be hired at steep rates. I don’t know how I can harvest my paddy,” said a farmer in Birbhum.

Sources said the crisis of agricultural labourers had become acute in the paddy-producing districts as a large number of them have left for other states to work as migrant workers.

“The farmers are facing a challenge as there is an overall crisis of farm labourers. We know it is important to harvest the crops before rain begins but the government should extend more help to the farmers,” said Amal Haldar, the state secretary of the All India Kisan Sabha.