How many many months has it been? And it's already that time of the year! And it's what I'm going to share today for #wednesdaywalk as I had the chance to go outside and sightsee for today's event.
Because today, we are finally harvesting what we've been growing in our rice fields. However, from what I've heard, they might not plant rice for the next season.
My grandmother owns these fields, it is what our grandfather left to her after his passing. And so for several years, we've mostly grown rice every time it's time to plant. But that might change for the first time again since it was said that the soil's condition isn't suited for replanting rice. And as a solution, we might plant corn for the time being or just skip and let the soil rest for the next planting season.
Before the elders agreed on the harvest, they were debating whether or not to go for the harvest. You see in our place nowadays, rice is being sold before the harvest. There is a certain person that would come to check and test the quality of the rice. And unfortunately, the quality of our rice plants wasn't at its best because of wild grass that grew and mixed in with the rice. That's what appears to be the problem and it was what took down the selling price to 18 PHP (Philippine Peso) per kilogram.
Sometimes, I think it's unfair for farmers to have their harvest bought for such a price because rice in the market is being sold for 30 PHP and above. Although I know that the bought rice would undergo certain procedures before being made ready for the market, I still think it's not enough to compensate the farmers.
You see, farmers would have to wait months. And through those months, they would take care of their fields even if it is burning hot outside. They would make sure that there are no pests or that there is enough water for the plants to take in.
So knowing how much they speak about the selling price, it just feels unfair with all the hard work and time they've poured to bring a harvest. I'm not an economist, and I sure don't know anything about the market but it's my opinion on the matter.
Looking at the greens that I have photographed from the early months, I felt regretful that the plants did not mature as beautifully as these. They matured and grew with weeds that degraded their worth.
I also feel empathetic towards my uncle who poured out almost all of his time maintaining the fields. Sure it's not the only thing he does for the whole day, but I knew how much he wanted to have a bountiful harvest. Who wouldn't right? Even my other grandfather who has his own set of fields besides my grandmother's also suffered the same.
Plus there was also a certain day when it rained and the wind was strong that it bent the rice plants closer to the ground. I think a lot of grains would have to fall to the ground knowing how strong the wind was.
Despite this unfortunate turn of events, we managed to have a good harvest where both my grandma and other grandpa got their return on investments. It was a relief, and I know how much their worry burdened them as it was getting close to harvest day.
All those months of hard work and the plants we've been looking out for have all been harvested. All that's left are tons of stems that were ripped out of rice grains that it has to bear for months. You know I'm kinda glad that it was harvested with style. Nowadays, a "KONU" (a common name they call a rice harvester) does the harvesting. Years ago, farmers would make a team and altogether they will rip the rice grains from the plant all by hand.
It was a job done by humans, but technology did ease the work efficiently and shortened the amount of time to finish the harvest. It was just like roving around the fields with such a big apparatus. And in a short amount of time, the harvest is done.
What would be the next crop for planting? Rice or corn? They're still debating since you could treat the soil with chemicals but it would cost quite more than they usually finance for fertilizers and pesticides. But whatever they would choose, it surely would be a long-growing journey.
Oh, there is corn planted in the fields in front of our house and I think it would take longer before their harvest. From what I know, this variety needs the plant to wither so that the fruit can become ready for selling. Those types of corn are usually fed to animals if you know about "cracked corn". And I hope I can cover that just like today's harvest.
It sure did took months before we got here but it all paid off. And just like as the saying goes that every end marks a new beginning, we are bound to look forward to the future.
Tomorrow awaits, so let's strive hard to be better.
P.S.: The thumbnail image was my other grandpa's set of fields and the following image, and the greenery was my grandmother's.
