Nepal, Oct. 9 -- Heavy rain and strong winds over the past two weeks have damaged crops across western Nepal, ruining paddy ready for harvest in the Tarai and destroying fruit and vegetables in the hills. Farmers who had been preparing to bring in their harvest have watched months of work go to waste, while local governments have begun sending agricultural technicians to assess the damage.

In Kailali, rain arrived just as farmers were cutting and drying their paddy. Ramdin Chaudhary of Kanari in Dhangadhi-15 had cultivated paddy on 10 kattha of land this year. After the crop ripened, he cut it and spread it out to dry in the field. But continuous rain on Tuesday and Wednesday flooded the fields before he could bring the harvest home, sub...