Ganjam paddy crop faces moisture stress

Drought is looming large in Ganjam district of south Orissa as several acres of paddy crops are facing moister stress due to lack of adequate rainfall during the kharif season.

According to a preliminary report of the agriculture department, the moister stress was reported in 15,036 hectares of paddy fields, mostly the highland areas of the district. The paddy crop covered 2.23 lakh hectares of land in the last kharif season. Unofficial sources say that about 50 per cent of the crops have already withered due to lack of rain and irrigation facilities. 

About 22.35 lakh hectares of land are devoted to paddy cultivation in Ganjam and the district recorded a production of 7,83,368 metric tonnes of paddy last year. This year, the agriculture department has targeted to produce 7,85,795 metric tonnes. The agriculture officials feel that the paddy yield would be drastically reduced if the present crisis continues for one more week.

“In our preliminary estimate, we have found that15,036 hectares of paddy crops are experiencing moister-stress and the figure may increase in the future", said a senior agriculture officer. The blocks where the paddy crops experienced moister stress are Rangeilunda, Patrapur, Chikiti, Sanakhemundi, Digapahandi, Kukudakhandi, Ganjam, Chhatrapur, Khallikote, Bhanjanagar, Belaguntha, Jagannathprasad and Buguda. 

However, the official figure was disputed by former assembly speaker and senior Congress leader, Chintamani Dyansamantara, who said that over 50 per cent of the paddy crops have already withered due to lack of rainfall and irrigation. Terming the present drought situation as man-made, he said the crops in most of the areas had withered due to lack of irrigation facilities. even though the Naveen Patnaik government had declared this year as the ‘Year of Irrigation’.

Mismanagement and callousness of the irrigation department was mainly responsible for the present situation and the farmers in the tail end of canals could not get water, he alleged. 

However, the Ganjam district collector VK Pandian, said, “Water for irrigation was being provided in the tail end by deploying police forces at several places in the district. I have also instructed the executive engineers of medium and minor irrigation projects to keep a vigil on the situation and ensure that water reaches the tail end."