BERHAMPUR: While agricultural activities have gained speed in Ganjam district following rains last week, the tardy progress of monsoon has created a drought-like situation in Bhanjanagar.
The area experienced scorching heat which continued even in June.
Spells of rain after Raja festival brought some respite facilitating farmers to sow paddy seeds.
Now with temperature soaring again and irrigation sources drying up, farmers are worried over their crop which is at germination stage.
Blocks like Bhanjanagar, Belaguntha, Jagannathprasad and Buguda under Bhanjanagar agriculture district need around 10,000 quintal of paddy seeds.
However, around 4,000 quintal of seeds were supplied by the Agriculture office while farmers arranged the rest on their own.
Sources said most of the seeds sowed on 40,000-hectare land have been destroyed at the germination stage leaving the farmers worried since it is difficult to arrange seeds to replace the damaged ones.
Meanwhile, Agriculture officials visited several areas to take stock of the situation. Agriculture officer A Bisoi said seeds at germination stage can survive if rain occurs within two to three days.
The Agriculture department has a seed production centre near Bhanjanagar which used to produce 8 to 10 thousand quintal of paddy seeds per year.
But this year, its production was limited to around 5,000 quintal. Now the centre has almost nil stock which has compounded the problem of the farmers, he added.