Henan’s autumn harvest disrupted by continuous rain, farmers wade through water to harvest corn

Recently, in several areas of Henan Province, the corn harvesting season has begun but is being hampered by continuous overcast and rainy weather, leading to severe waterlogging in some fields. As a result, agricultural machinery is unable to operate, forcing many farmers to manually drain water and harvest their crops.

A video shared by a netizen from Henan on October 1st showed a vast expanse of water in the cornfields, with some areas reaching waist-deep or even neck-deep. Many villagers were seen wading through the water to harvest corn, even diving underwater to break off the corn cobs and then using rafts or small boats to transport the corn out.

Netizens commented, “You need to know how to swim just to harvest corn like this.” “Are they harvesting corn or fishing? Farmers have it tough, it’s a pity not to harvest but heartbreaking to do so.” “Can their bodies withstand being soaked in water all day?” “It seems too dangerous.”

According to reports from mainland media outlets such as Red Star News, during the National Day holiday, a graduate student from the Central University for Nationalities was summoned back home by his parents to help with corn harvesting. The student explained that due to continuous rainfall for half a month in their hometown of Qixian County, Kaifeng, Henan, their cornfields had accumulated a lot of water, making it impossible for harvesters and tractors to enter the fields.

The student mentioned that now only their family of five could go into the fields to wade through water and harvest corn. During the harvest, they would strip the corn cobs, put them in buckets, then transfer them into fertilizer bags and carry them to the roadside. Due to the muddy ground under the water, it was very easy to sink in, making every step difficult.

“Some people online use metal sheets to scoop up the corn and use wheels and ropes to pull the sheet out. That’s a good idea. We are also thinking of different solutions now,” the student said, noting that the water in their cornfields reached their calves, while some neighboring fields were even deeper.

He also mentioned that the local weather was still overcast and rainy, making it challenging to dry the harvested corn. They can only sift out moldy and sprouted corn.

Mr. Li from Zhoukou, Henan, also stated that many cornfields in low-lying areas of the village were submerged. Not only corn but also peanut fields had waterlogging issues. If the harvested crops are not dried promptly, they may sprout or mold. The damp corn this year is selling for about 60 cents per kilogram.

In response, Zhu Zixin, a staff member at the Henan Agricultural Machinery and Land Development Center, stated that farmers in need of drying facilities could choose nearby options. Mr. Liu, the person in charge of a grain drying center in Qixian County, mentioned that they were currently queueing to dry grains, working at full capacity 24 hours a day for the past month. They dry 150 tons of grains daily now, charging 5 cents per kilogram for drying. Grain that is left unattended can only be stored for two to three days.

A responsible person from an agricultural enterprise involved in grain procurement also confirmed that the drying towers were operating continuously. However, individual farmers do not dry their own crops; rather, it is the purchased grains that are dried.

According to the data from the Henan Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, as of 5:00 PM on October 3rd, over half of the autumn harvest in Henan province has been completed. The recent persistent overcast and rainy weather have made the soil too wet, slowing down the harvesting progress. Currently, various regions are taking advantage of breaks in the rainfall to rush harvesting and drying.

Comments from Henan netizens indicated, “It rained continuously for a month, preceding a month-long drought.” Not only in Henan but also in Gansu, netizens remarked, “It’s the same situation in Shaanxi, Gansu, and Ningxia; the fields are entirely muddy, and the corn is rotting.” Netizens from Shandong also shared similar sentiments, stating that in Taian, Shandong, vehicles cannot enter the fields. “It’s the same situation in northern parts of Henan, Shandong, and Anhui.”