With monsoon playing truant, agricultural operations have been badly affected in Odisha, which recorded 30% deficit rainfall in the month of July.
Farmers, who had started kharif crop early due to good rainfall in the first week of June, are now facing an uphill task to revive their crop plan. The situation worsened to such an extent that the seedling has turned yellow.
As the dry spell continues, farmers are treading cautiously and have suspended their transplantation operation. The situation is particularly harsh in coastal Odisha where rain deficiency is increasing with every passing day.
In July, a crucial period for progression of agriculture operation, Puri received deficit rainfall to the tune of 65% while Khordha, Nayagarh, Bhadrak and Sundargarh districts received more than 50% shortfall in the precipitation. At least 13 of 30 districts have recorded deficit rainfall above 40% in the current season.
If cumulative rainfall is taken into account, 10 districts have recorded shortfall in rainfall (between -19% and -39%). Puri remained in the category of severely deficit rainfall with -55% of precipitation.
Odisha has received 395 mm rainfall in the monsoon season so far against normal 446.8 mm rainfall. Incidentally, three districts Gajapati, Boudh and Malkangiri git surplus rainfall during July. Cumulatively, nine districts received excess rainfall since June.
Meanwhile, Odisha government on Tuesday urged banks, insurance companies, regional agriculture officers and crop producers groups to actively participate awareness programmes to persuade farmers to come into insurance fold.
In the current kharif crop season, eight crops such as paddy, cotton, corn, groundnut, millet, pigeon peas, ginger and turmeric have been identified to be covered in insurance.
According to M. Muthukumar, Director of Agriculture, the area of insured cropland has been consistently increasing for past five years. In 2016, about 12.57 lakh hectare of cropland was brought under insurance coverage and in 2017 it increased to 13.46 lakh hectare. Last year (2019), a total of 18.52 lakh hectare cropland was insured.
