Paddy farmers in Odisha stare at losses due to untimely rains

Unseasonal rain in December has left the farmers in several districts of Odisha worried and staring at possible losses. Several parts of the state experienced light to moderate rainfall under the influence of Cyclone Fengal, which made its landfall near Puducherry on November 30.

Several parts of Odisha, including Ganjam district's Sanakhemundi, Digapahandi, Chikiti, and Patrapur, are experiencing light rainfall with cloudy skies. However, this untimely downpour has left farmers reeling and racing against time to safeguard their paddy crops.

A gloomy scene was reported from these areas where farmers were busy trying to transport harvested paddy to storage areas while others were struggling to find a way and save their harvest.

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The situation remained largely the same at other farmlands including places like Jagatsinghpur and Gajapati districts, which have been witnessing steady downpours in the past three days.

“We have no clue on what steps to take. Several of us had carried out farming after taking loans for seeds and equipment and now have no idea how to repay them,” lamented a farmer from Jagatsinghpur.

“We have lost almost the entire 100 percent of our harvest. While some of us are trying to move our paddy to safer areas, others are finding it difficult to even harvest the crops as fields are damaged and soggy,” said another farmer from Parlakhemundi.

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The unexpected showers bring concerns, especially as harvested paddy lies in open fields or waterlogged areas, with standing crops submerged in some places. The fear of crop damage looms large, with thousands of hectares of farmland in different parts of the state now at risk of losing their harvest.