The Phailin has left its dent on the standing crops and the farming community in western Odisha. Paddy, the main crop of the region, is hit worst due to the cyclonic storm. A farmer in Jharsuguda district has also killed himself unable to bear crop loss.
However, a report of the Agriculture Department negates a huge crop loss. “The crop loss is only 7 per cent of the total cultivated area in Sambalpur district,” said Deputy Director of Agriculture Ashok Kumar Mohanty. Saturday night witnessed Phailin-induced heavy rains accompanied by gusty winds. The rainfall in Sambalpur district alone was recorded at 57 mm. “It was the wind that damaged the paddy and other standing crops. Other districts also face a similar situation,” rued farmers.
Bargarh district, which is said to be the rice bowl of the State, also suffered crop loss. “Paddy in the flowering stage has been partially damaged. But ripened and immature paddy suffers no loss. However, the loss assessment is still going on,” said Bargarh Collector BG Mishra. “Vegetable cultivation for winter is at a nascent stage. Hence, the loss is not as severe,” he added. Farmers would be able to recover the loss with timely guidance from the Agriculture department, he further said.
But farmers said that the standing paddy crops have been severely damaged as they have almost touched the ground due to wind pressure. “My paddy had ripened. But now there is no possibility that it may sprout,” observed Ashok Sahu, a farmer from Gunderpur. “I don’t know how to manage for a whole year with this crop loss,” he said. Moreover, pest problem has also cropped up in some areas and the Agriculture department needs to find an early solution to it, demanded farmers’ leader Umesh Mishra.
Being unable to bear the crop loss, Jadumani Pandey (45), a farmer in Jharsuguda district, has allegedly committed suicide on Tuesday. However, the administration said that the reason behind Pandey’s death was being probed. The villagers have demanded the Government to provide immediate assistance to the family of the deceased. Pandey is survived by his wife and three daughters.