Nor’wester devastates around 50 acres of maize crop before harvest in Odisha

A sudden Nor’wester storm has dealt a severe blow to maize farmers in Odisha’s Cuttack district. The first Kalbaisakhi of the season yesterday destroyed nearly 50 acres of standing maize crop in Brahmapur village under Banki block, sources said on Wednesday.

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Farmers were only days away from harvesting and selling their produce in the market when the powerful storm flattened their farmlands. What was expected to bring income after months of hard work has now turned into a major financial loss.

The untimely weather event has left cultivators distressed as their ready-to-harvest crop was wiped out overnight. With the maize fields severely damaged, farmers fear a significant hit to their seasonal earnings.

OTV spoke to the affected farmers to understand the extent of the losses and their concerns following the unexpected destruction.

“We have been farming maize here for about 15 to 20 years, but we had never faced such a situation. The storm hit around 3.00 PM yesterday and completely ruined our agricultural fields. We were nearly a week away from harvesting them and selling them in the market. I cultivated two acres and spent nearly Rs 1.5 lakh on labour and other expenses. Maize is in high demand right now, but no one will buy it now. It has been lying on the ground for the last two days and is already infested with insects,” a local farmer expressed.

“We would have earned a good profit this time. Each cob sells for Rs 10 to Rs 12. Since the stalks have broken and fallen, insects are attacking them. They weren’t fully mature yet, so they are ruined, and no one in the market will take them. About 50 to 60 acres of sweet corn were cultivated in this area. We had received no prior warning from the meteorological department. We request the State government to support us,” another farmer stated.

“The grief we are feeling right now is beyond words. We can only request the government through your channel to provide some assistance to the farming community. It would help us recover. We cannot harvest anything from this field anymore,” a third farmer said.

The farmers have a primary demand: if they receive compensation from the administration or the agriculture department, they might be able to stand on their feet again and settle their debts. This would provide them with much-needed relief.