Jaleswar: Farmers under this block in Balasore district have grown mustard on 400 hectares of land but the fear of distress sale is haunting them, sources informed Monday. The farmers said that they have cultivated a huge amount of mustard, but now apprehend they will have to sell their yield at dirt-cheap rates and all their investments and hard work will go down the drain. Most farmers in the area went for mustard cultivation in the Rabi season as it promises higher returns with lesser investments and labor than other crops.
However, the lack of marketing facilities and cold storage has left them with no other option but to approach middlemen ready to exploit the situation. On being informed, district agriculture officials including Pradip Kumar Mohanty, Sanjiv Kumar Rout, Rajalakshmi Mohanty, Kamal Majhi, and Sk Abdul Raj visited various parts of Jaleswar block. They took stock of the cultivation in the area Monday. Sources said that Jaleswar block is known as an agriculture ominated block in Balasore district.
Here the farmers in riparian villages like Baiganbadia, Jhadapimpal, Paschimbarda, Paikasida, Gadasahi Baliapala, Rayanramachandrapur, Sikharpur, Srirampur, Dakhina Praharajpur, Makidia, and Olmara panchayats have taken up mustard cultivation. The mustard seeds were sown at the onset of winter because the cold weather helps in the cultivation. Prior to that, the Agriculture department had organised a training session on the cultivation of mustard.
As part of this initiative, 350 farmers were provided with two kilograms of seeds including those residing in Baiganbadia, Paikasida, Rayanramachandrapur, Srirampur, and Dakhina Praharajpur panchayats. They were also provided with the financial assistance of Rs 1,200 each and a subsidy on pesticides.