KENDRAPARA: Incessant rains and the subsequent floods have not only affected the lives but also the livelihood of farmers in the Kendrapara district. Standing paddy and vegetable crops along with cash crops such as jute have been damaged leaving the farmers in a lurch. Randhir Rout of Aitipur said the flood has left farmers like him devastated. Rout had cultivated paddy on three-acre land.
Secretary of District Krusaka Sabha Umesh Chandra Singh said the farmers will find it tough to recover the loss. While the prices of vegetables had gone down a few days back, the inundation of farms will once again lead to a price rise. Ashok Sahoo, a vegetable trader said prices of pumpkin, lady finger and other vegetables have already increased two-fold.
Large tracts of paddy fields still remain inundated even as flood water has started receding in worst-hit areas like Aul, Pattamundai, Marsaghai, Garadpur, and Mahakalapada, Derabishi and Rajkanika blocks of the district. Bhikari Rout of Dasamanakula village in Marsaghai said after the recent rainfall last month, he was expecting a bumper paddy crop but now the saplings have been damaged.
Meanwhile, district emergency officer Hemalata Bahalia said flood water in the affected areas has started receding. So far, 93 villages under 41-gram panchayats with a population of 92,822 have been affected.
The chief district agriculture officer has been asked to submit a report on crop loss after visiting the affected villages. “After receiving the report, assistance will be provided,” she said.