It is another rice harvest day today and we are already at work here. We got to farm quite early today having left the house at dawn to beat the midday sun, the earlier we got started the earlier we would be able to complete the days work before the weathers get so hot and unbearable.
Rice harvest is not a task that can be completed in one day. We have to consistently work for days cutting the grains first before beating them out. And like I said earlier ally of hands are needed for this work if we wish to get everything harvested early enough.
Today we divided the task among ourselves. My dad is cutting the rice plants in one corner of the farm while myself and my sister are gathering the sheaves putting them together on the sac. The other women are using sticks to beat the grains out of the chaff. Instead of beating it against a drum or some hard surface we chose to use sticks today.
The rice plants are overdried at this time, this made us to chose this method of processing the grains for today. Since the chaff aren't cooperating for us to beat them against the drum here, the women decided to use sticks which is a little more convenient.
Rice work can be really itchy on someone skin, while working to have to put on protective wear. The chaff can be itchy and even tear ones skin. For gathering it we often use sacs to cover the body of the rice before we gather it.
Doing it this way will protect ones skin from tear. It's advisable to use long cover clothes and to try as much as possible to cover our skin from excessive exposure to the rice plants. Mostly for all farm work it is important to wear protective wear
