Odisha govt readying contingency plan for Agri sector on less rain forecast

IMD forecast says there will be less than normal monsoon rains this year

The Odisha government has asked all district collectors to submit contingency plan proposals for agriculture sector after an India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecast said there will be less than normal monsoon rains this year.

"All district collectors have been asked to submit contingency proposals for their areas to the agriculture department keeping in view their geography and resources after consulting the respective zonal DDAs (deputy directors of agriculture). They have also been asked to write about the requirements to promote low-water-use crops," said Pradeep Maharathy, state agriculture minister.

The officials have been asked to provide fertilizers, pesticides and seeds to the farmers in need. For this purpose, district agriculture offices will work round-the-clock to assist farmers. Rajo festival holiday has been cancelled for agriculture department officials, he added.

The agriculture department has been asked to keep records of daily rainfalls and crop coverage. The monsoon rain is projected to reach the state in the third week of current month and is expected to be lower than normal.

The state grows mainly paddy, cotton, groundnut, maize and pulses in the kharif or summer sowing season. With more than two-third of 6.2 million hectare (mha) area dependent upon monsoon rains, a favourable spell of rains is required for better yield. For current season, the state government has set food grain production target of 10.1 million tonne (mt), including 9.51 mt of cereals and half a million tonne pulses. The cereals include 8.24 mt rice and 1.09 mt maize. Similarly, pulses production target comprises 200,000 tonne arhar, 150,000 tonne mung and 176,000 tonne urad.

As per the kharif crop acreage plan, cereals will be cultivated in 4.106 million ha with a productivity ratio of 2,316 kg per ha. This includes rice cultivation in 3.5 million ha with yield rate of 2,355 kg per ha and maize in 400,000 ha with productivity quotient of 2,755 kg per ha.

Pulses will be grown in a million ha land with productivity ratio of 609 kg per ha. The kharif sowing area target also include 0.473 million ha for oilseeds, 0.171 million ha of cotton, 0.351 million ha of vegetables and 0.10 million ha of spices.