It was when the farmers were having a tough time guarding their praddy lying out in the open at mandis, the rain came as a double whammy for them.
It has been ten days since the paddy farmers have stacked up up their harvest at Dunguripali paddy procurement centre in Nuapada district. At a time when guarding the paddy is a problem for them, the hailstorm lashing the area for last three days only made the situation worse. They fear the wet paddy may discolour and start sprouting.
“I have 123 sacks of paddy at the mandi. They are lying in the open and due to the unseasonal rains, it got drenched,” a farmer from Nuapada said.
Similar pictures also emerged from Jharsuguda district. Hundreds of tractors loaded with paddy sacks are queued up at the mandi in Kirimira area in Jharsuguda district. As the rain caught the farmers unawares, they had no option but civer the paddy with tarpaulins. The mandis in Kalahandi district also offered same pictures.
“If the paddy gets drenched, we will suffee losses. The mill owners are refusing to procure soaked paddy,” alleged a farmer at Jharsuguda.
A farmer from Dharmagarh area alleged that their life is often fraught with difficulties.
" The unseasonal rains drenched our paddy. Our effort to save those from getting wet went in vain as the wind constantly blew the tarpaulin away.
Apart from paddy, pulse and vegetable crops have also suffered extensive damage.