Rain foils phane trade

The only preservation method for the phane worms is to dry them in the sun to lengthen their shelf life. Exposure to humidity and damp conditions make them rot so that they are not good for eating.

 
The heavy and continuous rains caught others before they could effectively dry their harvest, spelling doom on their effort to make a killing from the natural resource that has been out of season for more than a year because of drought.
One harvester said the rains were a blessing in disguise because people who managed to gather enough worms for sale were the ones who harvested them before they were fully grown for harvest.