Cyclone ‘Michaung:' Odisha farmers working against time to save crops 

The farmers in Ganjam district on Tuesday were seen making last-ditch efforts to save their harvest-ready paddy from the cyclone ‘Michaung’-induced unseasonal rain. 

Earlier, the block agricultural officers created awareness in their respective blocks, and using public address systems, farmers were requested to bring their ripened paddy and vegetable crops to safer places. The farmers in Aska have been advised to bring their ready-to-harvest crops to their houses and cover them with polythene sheets. 

However, the unseasonal rain has left the farmers in the district a worried lot. Even though they are hastily bringing their crops to their yards, they are not finding adequate space for all the harvest. 

“After we came to know about the cyclone, we including our children are doing everything to save our crops,” said Madhuri Nahak, a female farmer. 

When asked, the district agriculture officer in-charge, Basudeb Sahu said, “We are creating awareness about how the crops can be saved from rain. We are sending out messages to farmers’ mobile phones. The farmers are also receiving our messages positively. They have already started to store their harvested crops.”

Also Read: Cyclone Michaung: Orange warning for heavy rainfall in Odisha districts till Dec 6 early hours

Notably, under the impact of cyclone ‘Michaung’, Odisha's Malkangiri, Koraput, Rayagada, Ganjam and Gajapati districts have been receiving rains since Monday evening. Gajapati received 8.5 mm rainfall, followed by Koraput ( 8.3 mm), Ganjam (3.9 mm), Malkangiri (2.5 mm), and Rayagada ( 1.5 mm) between 5.30 pm on Monday and 8.30 am on Tuesday, the Met Department said.