JEYPORE: Panchayat elections seem to have a bearing on farm activities in Jeypore where crop coverage has dropped. Reason: There are fewer people available for agricultural activities as poll campaigning is underway in full steam.
The Upper Kolab irrigation authorities released water for the rabi season to ayacut areas across 23,600 hectare (ha) land in Jeypore, Kotpad, Kundra and Borigumma blocks, in the first week of January. The water through nine distributaries also reached tail end points for sowing and transplantation of paddy and preliminary work started in most pockets.
However, only 30-35 per cent work on paddy crops are complete till now, against more than 50 per cent around the same time last year. As per reports, nearly 13,000 ha in the region had been covered under rabi paddy last year while this time, work has begun only on around 8,200 ha.
Sources say a sizeable number of agriculture labourers appear to have switched from farm work to poll activities like campaigning and rallies in lieu of food and money. Agriculture labourers from every panchayat are diverted towards election meetings, rallies and canvassing for various Zilla Parishad, sarpanch and samiti member candidates.
This has caused considerable anxiety among farmers as the agriculture works are lagging behind schedule due to dearth of labourers. "Farm wage earners are skipping agriculture activities for poll work in return for free food and money. It seems work will start only after the voting," lamented Narendra Pradhan, a farmer from Kundra block.
Another farmer Ramesh Behera echoed similar sentiments and said it is difficult to get labourers as they are reluctant to do farm work amidst the poll fever. Meanwhile, Upper Kolab additional chief engineer Anil Panigrahi informed that irrigation water has reached almost all pockets and it is up to farmers to gear up activities in time.
Additional chief district agriculture officer (ACDAO) BK Soren admitted that crop activities have slowed down in Jeypore sub-division and are likely to pick up pace next month only. "There are several reasons for the slow pace of agriculture activities this rabi season. We are monitoring the situation," he said.