BHUBANESWAR: Even as the Agriculture Department has claimed that the overall crop condition in the state is normal and cumulative rainfall is 10 per cent less than normal, farmers of at least 11 districts are staring at crop loss due to deficient rainfall.
With monsoon playing truant, deficit rainfall coupled with inadequate irrigation coverage has created a drought-like situation in Nabarangpur, Rayagada, Kalahandi, Khurda, Kendraprara, Jajpur, Jagatsingpur, Puri and parts of Cuttack, Gajapati and Koraput districts. Weekly rainfall data from the first week of June till August 16 states Nabarangpur district will have minimal irrigation facilities has a cumulative rainfall deficit of 40 per cent. Farmers of the district have lost hope as they found it difficult to save their crops.
Farmers of Kalahandi, Ganjam and Khurda are also in a state of despair due to erratic rainfall. With a cumulative rainfall deficit of 32 per cent, Ganjam district experienced 64 per cent less precipitation in June followed by 41 per cent in July and 31.66 per cent in August. Going by the rainfall pattern in the state, the 11 affected districts have not received a good spell of rain in any of the weeks since June 1 till date.
“More than 50 per cent of rainfed agricultural land remains uncultivated in Ganjam district. As paddy is the main crop, farmers are still waiting for rains to take up transplantation. They will have to wait till the first week of September to decide the next course of action,” said Ganesh Nayak, a farmer of Sankhemundi block.
The total kharif crop coverage in the state as on August 18, 2023, was 35.68 lakh hectares against 36.57 lakh hectares during the corresponding period last year. Paddy crop coverage in the state is around 28 lakh hectares this year against 32 lakh hectares last year. The crop coverage area has reduced due to erratic rainfall followed by crop damage due to inundation and flooding in the coastal districts.
Area coverage under coarse cereals is comparatively better than last year. Around 3.95 lakh hectare has been covered so far against 3.83 lakh hectare during this period last year. “Transplantation of paddy crop is under progress in areas affected by flood. Intercultural operation in paddy is going on in areas where crop condition is normal. Overall crop condition is normal in many districts of the state,” said an officer of the Agriculture Department.
Enrolment for Kharif extended till August 25
The state government on Tuesday further extended the timeline for paddy procurement registration for the 2023-24 kharif marketing season by three more days till August 25.“The last date for submitting applications for farmers’ registration for procurement of paddy (Kharif crop) is hereby extended till August 25, 2023,” said order of the Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare department.
Intimating the time extension to the Registrar of Cooperative Societies and all district collectors, the order stated the last date of digitisation of forms by societies engaged for paddy procurement has also been extended till August 31. The societies have been directed to generate a master farmer list for the procurement of paddy by September 30.