Rice Paddy Harvesting in SEVAI is done by manually.

Manual Paddy harvesting by SEVAI Women Self Group Members

Paddy Harvesting in SEVAI is done by manually Rice Paddy harvesting is the process of collecting the mature rice crop from the field. Paddy harvesting activities include cutting, stacking, and handling, threshing, cleaning, and hauling. SEVAI applies good harvesting methods to be able to maximize grain yield. To harvest manually, SEVAI Self Help Group members cut the rice with a sickle at the stems close to the ground. Manual harvesting system is most common in SEVAI. It includes the rice crop is cut with simple hand sickle 10-15 cm above the ground level. After harvesting the rice crop put together in bundles and left on the field itself for drying for easy threshing. Taking the average duration of the crop as an indication, SEVAI drains the water from the field 7 to 10 days before the expected harvest date as draining hastens maturity and improves harvesting conditions. When 80% of the panicles turn straw colour, the crop is ready for harvest. Even at this stage, the leaves of some of the varieties may remain green. It is confirmed: maturities by selecting the most mature dehusk a few grains. If the rice is clear and firm, it is in hard dough stage. When most of the grains at the base of the panicle in the selected tiller are in a hard dough stage, the crop is ready for harvest. At this stage harvest the crop, thresh and winnow the grains. Dry the grains to 12% moisture level for storage. Grain yield in rice is estimated only at 14% moisture for any comparison. Manual system using manually operated tools is common in SEVAI Target area of paddy cultivation. This includes use of traditional tools for threshing such as threshing racks, simple treadle threshers and animals for trampling. Harvest paddy rice at the right moisture content. At maturity, about 80% of the grains turn yellow whilst part of the stems and leaves remains green. Panicle maturity normally occurs at about 28-34 days after heading. Timely harvest will reduce yield loss due to: Grain shattering, cracking of grains in the field and grain breakage during milling, Lodging and grain discolouration, under wet weather, Birds and rodent attack. Harvesting is an operation of cutting, picking, plucking, digging or combination of these for removing the useful part or economic end product, part from the plant. Threshing is the process of separating the grain from the straw. It can be either done by hand.-Govin