Baripada: With a few days left for July to end, many blocks in Mayurbhanj have received scant rainfall dooming the prospect of farming in the district.
Farmlands of Budhikhamari village and some other places under Baripada block were found dry while paddy seedlings have started wilting, ringing alarm bells for farmers, a report said.
“If there is no rain within a week, farmlands in Mayurbhanj district could be hardly hit which would give rise to a drought-like condition,” Rabindra Mohanta, a local farmer, lamented.
The district has recorded 374.82 mm of rainfall in all 26 blocks during July till date. Precisely, Shyamakhunta block recorded 135 mm, Badasahi block 174 mm, Betanoti block 197 mm, Morada 191 mm, Rasagobindapur 147.20 mm, Kuliana 202.2 mm, Saraskana 243.4 mm, Suliapada 150.9 mm, Bangiriposi 116.2 mm, Baripada 158 mm, Khunta 140.7 mm, Gopabandhunagar 140.7mm, Udala 80.8 mm, Kaptipada 156 mm, Bisoi 202 mm, Bijatala 140 mm, Rairangpur 218 mm, Kusumi 36 mm, Jamada 142 mm, Bahalda 212 mm, Tiring 99.6 mm, Jashipur 140 mm, Karanjia 60 mm, Thakurmunda 136.5 mm, Sukruli 64 mm and Raruan 65 mm of rainfall during this time.
On an average, each block has recorded rainfall of 144.16 mm, official sources said.
When contacted, Mayurbhanj deputy director of agriculture Damodar Sethy said, “Weather condition these days has been precarious for farming activities. We advise local farmers to make use of KALIA yojana assistance money to buy pump sets and irrigate their farmlands by lifting water from nearby resources.”
The district agriculture department gives a subsidy of 50 per cent to farmers for purchasing pump sets, Sethy added.
PNN