Jajpur: Farmers in various parts of this district have almost finished the initial farming activities, but they have started dreading an approaching spectre of drought due to scant rain fall in June.
Sources said in the last 11 days of June, areas in the Brahmani river basin have received only 59.2 mm rain, which is much less than the required rainfall of 238.5 mm. The agriculture department and the farming community are deeply worried over this trend.
Even though weathermen had promised early monsoon and good rain in the month of June, inadequate rain has left the farming community high and dry.
Farmers said if rains do not occur in the next seven days, the paddy spouts and saplings in beds will certainly wither.
The rainfall received so far has not met the requirement of agricultural activities, they added.
Farmers recalled a similar situation last year when there was insufficient rainfall in June which later led to a drought-like situation in many parts. “By this time, agriculture activities should have proceeded far ahead but want of rains has left farmlands dry and parched,” they noted.
Agriculture department has set a target of paddy cultivation this year on 1,43,554 hectares in the district. But so far, farming activities have started only on 23,268 hectares.
Agriculture officials said the insufficient rainfall in the initial stage has triggered the possibility of hampering farming activities to a great extent.
It is said that in the last five years, areas in the lower basin of Brahmani have not received normal rainfall. The last time good rainfall was recorded in the area was in June 2011.
Trilochan Barik, a farmer of Krushnapada, said all farmers are keeping their fingers crossed for rains in a day or two. “Clouds gather, but vanish in minutes without rains. The farmlands have now cracked while okra cultivation has damaged for want of rains,” he added.
Banamali Mallick and Golakh Mallick of Barakolipatana said vegetables that they had grown by taking loans have got damaged. “We don’t have irrigation facilities,” they lamented. PNN