ROURKELA: Erratic monsoon coupled with uneven distribution of rainfall has affected paddy farming in Sundargarh with direct sowing, nursery raising and transplanting operations getting delayed by a fortnight in the district.
In june, the district received 218.82 mm rain against the normal of 237.4 mm. More than 80 per cent of the month’s rainfall was recorded over five days in the last week of June. Besides, while most of the 17 blocks in Sundargarh recorded excess showers, others received deficit rainfall.
Sources said usually, direct seed sowing under paddy broadcasting method is carried out over 40 per cent area with the initial monsoon rain by June 15. By this time, 20 per cent area is also covered with nursery raising. Under the prevailing circumstances, nursery raising and seed sowing have been delayed by at least 14 days.
Cashing in on the heavy rainfall in June-end, some areas have seen progress in nursery raising. However, the dry spell since June 28 has left farmers worried as both nursery raising and transplantation require adequate water. In contrast, the prevailing dry spell is in some way beneficial for direct seed sowing, but rainfall is required soon after for germination of seeds and plant growth. Delayed paddy operations pose risks such as inadequate plant growth, low yield and pest attacks among other things, the sources added.
The administration has planned to carry out paddy cultivation over 2.04 lakh hectare (ha) of land in Sundargarh. Usually, at least 35 per cent of the land is covered under broadcasting method and the rest 65 per cent see paddy transplantation every year.
In-charge chief district agriculture officer (CDAO) Harihar Naik admitted that due to erratic rainfall and faulty distribution, initial paddy farming operations have been delayed. He hoped that the revival of monsoon in next few days would to improve the situation.