Excess rainfall in Odisha in July might have shifted the state government’s focus from drought to flood management but it has proved to be a bonanza for kharif-sowing.
Government data showed Odisha received 461 mm rainfall between July 1 and 30, surpassing the average rainfall of 328.9 mm by 40.2 per cent. This is notable because in June, the state had recorded a rainfall deficit of 54.5 per cent.
The area under kharif sowing in Odisha till July 26 stood at 3.292 million hectares (mha), a tad higher than last year, according to data compiled by the Directorate of Agriculture and Food Production (DA&FP).
“The excess rainfall in July has compensated the rainfall deficit in June. In the medium land areas, farmer should opt for a shorter duration (120 days) variety of paddy and go for green and black grams in uplands,” said Anupama Baliarsingh, associate professor of agro-meteorology at the Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology.
Crop-wise cultivation figures show that paddy, a major kharif crop, has been sown on 1.947 mha, compared to 1.977 mha in the same period last year.
The state government had targeted paddy sowing on 3.6 mha land in its 2014 kharif campaign.
Odisha has set a target to bring 6.15 mha of land under cultivation during the current kharif season. This comprises 4.11 mha for cereals, 0.96 mha for pulses, 0.45 mha for oilseeds, 0.17 mha for fibre, 0.36 mha for vegetables and 0.10 mha for spices. In June, the crop coverage area was down 38.33 per cent at 0.387 mha, on the back of scanty monsoon rainfall. The crop-sowing area was 0.628 mha till June 21, 2013.
The crop condition is normal in the state. Transplanting and beusaning (light ploughing through standing crop) of paddy is continuing in almost all the districts of the state. Sowing of non-paddy crops such as maize, ragi, pulses, oilseed and vegetable are under progress, a DA&FP report noted.
The excess rainfall during July has also led to flood situation in the state, affecting nine out of 30 districts. “The government doesn’t apprehend the flood situation to worsen. There is no contingency plan yet but district collectors have been alerted to keep a close watch on the situation,” said Special Relief Commissioner Pradipta Kumar Mohapatra.
Following the incessant rains in the last week of July, water levels in most rivers in the state have increased, triggering fears of flash floods. While no immediate threat of flood was alerted in the Mahanadi river system, a few other rivers including Baitarani, Rushikulya , Jalaka, and Hati have crossed the danger level.
The districts affected by torrential rains include Jajpur, Balasore, Bhadrak, Bargarh, Khurda, Kalahandi, claiming as many as 10 lives.
However, flood waters in all major rivers have now receded.
