The State Government on Monday sought reports from the Collectors of five districts over the crop damage due to unseasonal cyclonic rains on December 9 and 10.
Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Maheswar Mohanty said the Government has asked the Puri, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapada, Cuttack and Jajpur district Collectors to submit reports.
State Relief Commissioner Bishnupada Sethi said a review of rainfall data shows that there has been more than 50 mm of rainfall in 19 blocks of the five districts which might have affected the standing crops.
Sethi said the Government has asked the Collectors to conduct assessment through field inquiry by officials of Revenue and Disaster Management and Agriculture and Farmers Empowerment Departments to ascertain if any additional crop area has been damaged to the extent of 33 per cent or above.
The SRC has directed the Collectors to submit reports latest by December 18. He also asked them not to include the crop lands already reported and notified as affected by drought or pest attack or previous unseasonal rain in the current assessment.
Notably, crop area to the extent of 4.07 lakh hectare in 19 districts was earlier affected by the untimely rains in November, 2017 which had already been notified by the Government and funds provided to the Collectors concerned for disbursement of agriculture input subsidy to the affected cultivators.