JEYPORE: Farmers in the Koraput region are voicing their dissatisfaction with the joint survey conducted by the agriculture and revenue departments to assess crop damage caused by the recent Michuang cyclone. They claim that the survey failed to adequately cover all affected areas, leaving significant damage unaccounted for.
Sources report that the cyclonic pressure led to three days of continuous heavy rainfall. The incessant rains caused substantial harm to paddy crops in areas like Jeypore, Kotpad, Kundra, Borrigumma, Nandapur, Pottangi, and Lamataput, with farmers reporting damages exceeding 2,000 hectares. Despite the widespread impact, the joint damage report submitted to the district administration only acknowledged 187 hectares of damaged paddy, sparking discontent among farmers.
Convenor of Koraput Krushak Kalyan Manch, Narendra Pradhan, alleged that the joint survey conducted by the agriculture and revenue departments was insufficient, and the reported damages did not reflect the actual extent of the losses.
“Significant portions of paddy crops in various pockets, including Kundra, Kotpad, Jeypore, Borrigumma, Semiliguda, Nandapur, and Lamtaput, were adversely affected. Moisture and discolouration affected more than 30 percent of the grains in these areas, but all these have been omitted from the survey,” he alleged .Demanding a re-evaluation of the crop damage lists, Pradhan urged the government to consider the ground realities, encompassing both standing and harvested paddy crops.