Goa, Nov. 3 -- After a promising start to the agricultural season, farmers across several villages now find themselves battling heavy losses as unseasonal rains have destroyed paddy crops that were ready for harvest.

This year, many farmers had enthusiastically taken up cultivation, encouraged by steady and timely monsoon showers. Unlike previous years, the fields did not get submerged during the early rains, and the crop growth was healthy, raising hopes for a good yield.

However, just as the time for harvesting arrived, incessant rains returned, flooding the fields and submerging the mature paddy crop. Despite waiting for days in the hope of sunshine, the rain continued, leaving harvested and standing crops waterlogged.

"The paddy th...