BHUBANESWAR: Even as farmers across the state are staring at loss of paddy crop owing to erratic rainfall, the state government neither has any contingency plan nor any advisory to deal with the crisis.
As many as 17 districts of the state have received deficit rainfall of up to 57 per cent. This apart, three districts received large deficit rainfall of more than 65 per cent in the first week of July, considered a crucial month for agriculture operations like beusaning (redistribution of seedling) and transplanting of paddy crop.
The seasonal cumulative rainfall in Raygada district is 55.8 mm which is 73 per cent less than normal. Rainfall departure in Kalahandi and Kandhamal districts is 68 per cent and 65 per cent respectively from normal. The actual rainfall in the two districts till Monday was 85.6 mm and 78.2 mm respectively.
Seven districts including Bargarh, Sambalpur, Jharsuguda, Sundargarh, Keonjhar, Nayagarh and Malkangiri are better off with rainfall deficit ranging from 8 per cent to 19 per cent. Excess or deficit rainfall of 19 per cent is considered to be normal during the cropping season.
The coastal districts of Khurdha, Puri, Cuttack, Jajpur, Balasore, Bhadrak, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara and Ganjam along with southern districts of Gajapati, Koraput and Nabarangpur and Boudh, Sonepur, Balangir and Nuapada in the west are the worst hit with deficit rainfall of 22 to 57 per cent. Angul, Dhenkanal and Deogarh have received excess rainfall, said a report of the meteorological centre, Bhubaneswar.
Data on area covered under different kharif crops is not available as the Agriculture department is not ready to share any data including the crop condition in the rain deficit districts. Over 3.24 lakh hectare out of 35 lakh hectare of kharif programme area was covered under different crops by this date in 2022.
Sources in the department said the Directorate of Agriculture and Food Production is in the process of compiling the data from districts. The Directorate has not prepared a single weekly crop weather watch group report since first week of April 2023.
“The state has receive 26 per cent less rainfall in June due to late arrival of monsoon. Farmers have raised paddy nurseries which took nearly 3-4 weeks for transplantation. In rain fed areas sufficient rains are required for transplantation and beusaning. A dry spell of a week or more will damage the crops,” said OUAT agrometeorologist Tusar Mohanty.
Rain crisis
17 districts have received deficit rainfall of up to 57 pc
3 districts have received large deficit rainfall of over 65 pc in July first week
Coastal and southern districts worst hit with deficit rainfall of 22 to 57 pc
Only three districts-Angul, Dhenkanal and Deogarh have received excess rainfall