Farmers in Ganjam district face challenges as Cyclone Montha threatens paddy harvest

Berhampur: Farmers in Ganjam district, like Niranjan Mohanty of Balipada, are worried over IMD’s prediction of heavy rainfall under the influence of Cyclone Montha. “Paddy is in the harvesting stage in the field.

Standing crop will be affected if heavy rain occurs along with strong winds. The crop will be lost if it falls on the ground,” said Mohanty. “I have cultivated long-duration paddy and the crop is in the flowering stage. I am worried about the effect of the cyclone,” said Sameer Pradhan, a farmer in Sheragada block’s Takarada village. Another farmer of Takarada said though his crop had ripened by 85%, he could not cut before rain due to lack of a safe storage place.“We have suggested farmers to harvest paddy if it ripens to 85% and keep it in a safe place,” said Ajay Kumar Kar, chief district agriculture officer (CDAO). He said they have advised farmers to prepare drainage channels in their paddy fields to drain out excess water.“Field staff of the agriculture department are creating awareness about the weather advisories in different villages,” he said. “If there is normal rain without strong winds, the condition will be favourable for the standing crops,” said the CDAO. Paddy has been cultivated in around 1.87 lakh hectares in Ganjam, sources said.“The administration has prepared 110 cyclone shelter centres for keeping people evacuated from low-lying coastal areas, if needed,” said Debadutta Panda, additional district magistrate (ADM).