Extensive damage to paddy crops due to low pressure rains have caused havoc
Dr badal tah, Rayagada, December 21: Paddy & cotton crops reaped, soaked & stored in field, roadside and mandi under open sky are getting damaged due to low pressure in Rayagada. “Quality of grains must have decreased. So the Govt should relax already fixed Govt criteria of purchase of crops for farmers’ benefit or otherwise their financial condition will be devastated. Though the Mandis were inaugurated and opened on 17th December, procurement of a single grain could not be done for 3 to 4 days due to administrative laxity. In the mean time rains barged in ultimately affecting the farmers”, stated Rasmiranjan Dora, a prospective farmer from Kolnara.
The paddy and cotton farmers of the district are worried about the low pressure rains still continuing in the district. Due to continuous drizzling, paddy plants have fallen on the ground, while cotton has been left drenched & doaked before the harvest. According to sources, 49000 hectares of paddy has been cultivated in the district while cotton has been cultivated on 49810 hectares. Farmers complain that the prices of paddy or cotton will decrease this year when crops have been destroyed due to this rain.
Rama Rao Kandagari, a cotton farmer of Rayagada, doubts that whether he can repay his loan he borrowed for his cotton cultivation. Rama Rao said that he has taken a loan of 40,000 rupees for cotton cultivation this year and he is worried about how to clear the debt due to this rain. While the farmers kept their paddy on the fields, it was adversely destroyed in this rain, while the cotton pods were also damaged due to soaking.
The farmers have demanded that the district administration and the agriculture department to make crop damage assessment in the district and compensate the them for their loss. It is also true that the farmers were expecting a bumper crop this harvest, but their happiness turned out to be owes. The district administration seems to be callous to this pertinent issue farmers”, said another farmer named Sri Bijaya Mishra, who was felicitated as an agripreneur at IIM Sambalpur. The district administration and agriculture department are yet to providing reports to the government regarding damage assessment. A farmer from Siripai village from Kashipur said that many farmers did not have time to protect the paddy from the rain. District Agriculture Officer Bishnu Prasad Kar said that the agriculture officers of all the blocks had been instructed to start the assessment of farmers affected by this low pressure rain, within a day or two & it will be reported to the government. After that, the decision will be taken according to the instructions of the government.
