Nilgiris Hill Farmers Appeal for Irrigation Schemes Amid Rain Deficit

In the Nilgiris, a hilly place in India, farmers grow vegetables on the slopes.

This year, the southwest monsoon has not brought enough rain.

Because of the rain shortage, the vegetable crops are not growing as well as before.

Farmers say their harvest has dropped by about 30 to 40 percent.

Some farmers have irrigation systems that water their plants, so their crops survived.

These farmers are selling carrots and beetroot for 60 to 75 rupees per kilogram.

Farmers who depend only on rain are worried that their fields will fail.

The farmers have asked the government to allow digging bore wells and to provide irrigation from nearby water sources so their vegetable crops can survive.