By Express News Service
BHUBANESWAR: The late arrival of monsoon and scanty rainfall within the month of June have critically affected kharif crop operations within the State with the realm coated beneath paddy cultivation until July 9 coming down by 40 per cent over final yr.
Transplanting and broadcasting of paddy is occurring together with elevating of nurseries in simply round 5.44 lakh hectares in opposition to 35 lakh hectares (ha) programmed by the Agriculture division for the present kharif season.
Though the division claimed that the general crop situation is regular, many components of the State relying on rain water for cropping have been experiencing moisture stress situations resulting in shrivelling of seedlings resulting from extreme warmth and lack of rains.
The State which skilled 26 per cent extra rainfall in May obtained 43 per cent much less in June. The precise rainfall in June was 98.6 mm in opposition to common regular rainfall of 173.2 mm. However, an extra rainfall of over 5 per cent has been obtained within the first two weeks of July.
With the meteorological division predicting good showers within the subsequent few days, sources within the Agriculture division stated if the forecast comes true it is going to assist in transplantation operations in midland and better lands that largely rely on rain water.
According to the Directorate of Agriculture and Food Production, kharif paddy cultivation is present process in round 5.44 lakh ha in opposition to 9 lakh ha throughout the identical interval final yr. The space protection beneath cereal crops cultivation is about 6.9 lakh ha as in opposition to 10.94 lakh ha throughout final yr.
The delayed monsoon has additionally severely impacted the vegetable cultivation within the State. The current space beneath vegetable cultivation is sort of half of the realm coated final yr. Only round 1.81 lakh ha has up to now been coated beneath vegetable cultivation in opposition to 2.68 lakh ha final yr.
The paddy seed sale by the Odisha State Seeds Corporation has additionally been solely 2.40 lakh quintal in opposition to a goal of 4 lakh quintal. The company has a surplus seed inventory of 30,000 quintal and authorities farms have 60,000 quintal.
