The fear of drought has gripped several districts in the State due to deficient rainfall since June.
According to the Met department, overall the State has received 13 per cent less rainfall than the normal till August 10 while the situation is particularly bad in six districts, Puri, Nayagarh, Khordha, Balangir, Kandhmnal and Koraput.
Due to the scanty rainfall, there is not enough water in the canals which has hit agricultural activity hard.
While 11 districts have received less than average rainfall, six districts have had below normal rainfall till August 10, officials said.
Chief Secretary GC Pati recently held a meeting of concerned department heads and asked them to be vigilant and draw up contingency plans to tackle the situation. He directed the officials to lay more emphasis on drought-resistant varieties of paddy, pulses and oil seed crops.
According to the Met office, the State has so far received nearly 100 mm less rainfall.
Against the average rainfall of 680 mm between June and August, the State has received only 570 mm rainfall, making the situation in three coastal districts and three southern districts precarious.
While Puri, Nayagarh and Khordha districts received 40 per cent less than the normal rainfall, there has been 39 per cent less rainfall in Balangir and 37 per cent less in Kandhamal and Koraput districts each.
The Government has formed a committee of technical and administrative experts to keep a watch on agriculture and weather and review the situation in different regions every week.
The Agriculture Department recently released a subsidy of `15,000 on each pump set in rain-deficient areas while the Energy Department has been directed to energise 13,000 deep borewells by August 15 and supply of seeds which require less water.
Notably, about 20.52 lakh hectares of land was under cultivation during this Kharif season in the State.
With 111 of the 314 blocks receiving less than average rainfall, the Government has decided to provide 40,000 water pump sets to farmers at a subsidised price, besides supplying quality seeds and fertilisers.