Mohali to Manila: Rice economy faces turmoil as El Nino turns up heat

The agriculture department is coordinating with the state's irrigation and energy departments to ensure optimum supply of water and electricity

A fortnight or so ago, Kunwar Bahadur Yadav, a small farmer on the outskirts of Lucknow, was staring at a loss on his paddy crop, due to the deficient rains. However, rains arrived as August was drawing to a close.

“The showers saved my paddy,” says Yadav.

Miles away in Kerala, popular actor Jayasurya has been facing the ire of the supporters of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) for highlighting the plight of paddy farmers this Onam season and blaming the state government for it.

For millions of paddy farmers across India, this year’s kharif season has been a