KENDRAPARA: Agricultural activities have picked up in Kendrapara district with the arrival of monsoon recently.
Farmers, who were in despair due to a lengthy dry spell are now preparing their land for cultivating kharif crop. The district’s farmers have planned to grow paddy over 1,24,600 hectare land. “Hundreds of ponds and ditches are now full and the farmers are busy preparing their land for sowing seeds. Many have started procuring seeds,” said Pravat Rout, a farmer of Garadapur.
Bhaskar Rout of Pattamundai said arrival of monsoon was delayed by a month this year due to which farmers have no time to waste.
Erratic monsoon with scanty rainfall often forces farmers to solely rely on the canal and ground water for raising paddy crops. With the arrival of monsoon in July, the cost of irrigation would come down, said Umesh Chandra Singh, president of district Krusaka Sabha.
Chief district agriculture officer, Manoj Chand said, “Rainfall at the right time would be beneficial for paddy crop. The monsoon is crucial for agricultural operations. In the district, the arrival of monsoon at this time has certainly proved to be a boon as the level of groundwater has been constantly falling for the last 10 years. Besides, dependence on electricity in paddy and jute cultivation will also decrease.”