Double Whammy for Ganjam Farmers

Agricultural lands have been waterlogged, paddy and vegetable crops damaged in the unseasonal rain

BERHAMPUR:  Even as farmers are yet to come to terms with crop loss due to lack of sufficient rain in several parts of Ganjam district, unseasonal rain for the last one week has added to their woes.

With agricultural lands being water-logged, pulses and vegetable crops besides the harvested paddy stocks that were kept in the fields for drying, have been damaged.

While rain in the last two days damaged crops in Aska, Bhanjanagar, Jagannathprasad and Kabisuryanagar blocks, last week’s showers destroyed crops in Digapahandi, Patrapur, Chikiti, Ganjam and Khallikote blocks.

This has also led to delay in submission of crop cutting report by the district administration.

The administration had conducted a survey and found 221 villages and two NACs in seven blocks of the district as drought affected. However, as crop cutting report is yet to be submitted, the district has not been declared drought hit yet.

The Collector has been asked to send the crop cutting report by next month after which the Government would decide the list of the drought affected blocks.

Accordingly, the district administration has directed the tehsildars to submit crop cutting report to the Sub Collectors by December 26, said Additional District Magistrate, Sitansu Rout.

Agriculture officials have been sent to the rain affected blocks to assess the loss, said Rout.