SAMBALPUR: Inadequate rainfall has affected farmers in non-irrigated belts of the district. The district received 261.22 mm rain against the normal average of 429.5 mm in July.
Agricultural activities for kharif season had taken off in the right earnest as the district received 45.29 per cent more rainfall compared in June this year. The district received 321.11 mm rainfall against the average of 221 mm during the month. However, rains have vanished since.
Farmers of non-irrigated belts of the district including Kuchinda, Jamankira, Bamra, Rairakhol and Naktideul along with major portion of Rengali block are now struggling to use urea fertilizer on their land as these areas depend on rains for irrigation.
Tikan Sahu of Bhatpura village in Jamankira block said he has cultivated paddy over three acre land and the crops need urea fertiliser but it can only be done if it rains. If urea is used in the absence of rain, it will damage the paddy crops, he said.
Chief district agriculture officer Santosh Ray said the Agriculture department has set a target to cultivate paddy including high yielding variety, hybrid and local variety on over 1,04,970 hectare land with a production target of 4,27,760 tonne during the current kharif season.