BHUBANESWAR: The State government on Monday asked farmers to take necessary measures to save their kharif paddy crops from possible rains in the next couple of days triggered by a system forming in the Bay of Bengal.
In an advisory, the Directorate of Extension of the Odisha University of Agriculture & Technology (OUAT) has suggested the farmers harvest paddy crops which are 85 per cent ripe before the system moved to Odisha coast. Farmers have also been advised to perform threshing or store and cover the harvested crops in a safe place.
If the crop is not matured, farmers have to drain out rainwater from the field. In case of lodging of crops after the unseasonal rains, which makes them difficult to harvest, the best possible way to save the crops is to bind them in a bundle, the advisory stated.
The OUAT experts have warned of possible pest attack after the weather turns dry in the aftermath of rains. Farmers have been asked to consult the local field staff of the Agriculture department for the application of pesticides and suspend all rabi crop farming till the situation is favourable.
Meanwhile, the Special Relief Commissioner has sounded alert for all district collectors and instructed them to remain prepared for the situation.