Paddy farmers in Gajapati stare at uncertain future due to deficit rainfall, rue 'failure' of lift irrigation project 

Deficit rainfall has put paid to the farmers’ hopes of reaping a good harvest in Sanakhani area under Mohana block in Gajapati district.
 
Out of frustration, the affected farmers on Sunday allowed cows to graze on acres of paddy plants in Sanakhani village. 

According to a source, at the advent of monsoon, the farmers of Sanakhani area planted paddy seedlings in their respective agricultural lands. Then, they were hopeful that they would reap a bumper harvest.
 
But their dream of a bumper harvest shattered to the ground when they experienced deficit rainfall. Because of this, their paddy fields, which should have had undulating paddy plants with panicles, developed cracks. In some fields, the paddy plants withered. 

With there being no possibility of the paddy plants bearing fruits, the depressed farmers on Sunday let cattle loose in their farmlands. 

“We the farmers here had sown paddy with the hope of feeding our families. But the deficit rainfall has destroyed everything. Today, we allowed cows to feed on the plants but they too didn’t eat them,” lamented a farmer.

Echoing the same, another farmer blamed the failure of a lift irrigation project for the situation. “Here we don’t have an irrigation facility. There is a lift irrigation project in our area but it is not functioning.”