SAMBALPUR: Heavy rain caused by a low pressure over Bay of Bengal has severely affected paddy cultivation across parts of Sambalpur district, leaving farmers in distress.
While standing paddy crops remain submerged, the harvested crops stored on open grounds are yet to dry. As a result, farmers are struggling to safeguard their produce amidst erratic weather conditions.
According to the Zilla Krushak Sangathan, extensive crop damage has been reported, particularly in Dhankauda block and certain areas under Sambalpur city limits. Officials from the Agriculture department visited various affected areas to assess the extent of the damage on Wednesday which continued on Thursday too.
District agriculture officer HK Jena confirmed that initial estimates indicate damage to paddy crops in several areas due to the ongoing rainfall.
“Field-level officers visited Kud-Gunderpur, Kalamati, Kardola, and Basantpur villages, along with other parts of the Sambalpur Municipal Corporation, to conduct the assessment. During these visits, farmers shared information regarding the loss of their produce. The field officials will visit more areas and submit a detailed preliminary loss report shortly,” he said.
Many farmers, currently in the process of threshing and selling their produce through local mandis, had stored harvested rabi paddy in open fields for drying. However, the rain has hampered drying and harvesting operations, as harvester machines cannot operate in waterlogged fields. Agricultural labourers have also left have little work due to the unfavourable conditions. With forecasts predicting more rain over the next few days, farmers are anxious and uncertain about safety of their crops.
Over 12.5 lakh packets paddy have been procured from 7,819 farmers across Sambalpur. However, with the current weather condition, the pace of harvesting and procurement is likely to slow down now.