Kamakhyanagar: Agriculture district status to a large sub-division like Kamakhyanagar in Dhenkanal district seems to be a misnomer as 30 posts, including that of an agriculture district officer, are lying vacant.
Buoyed by weathermen’s predictions of good rainfall, the farmers have sown paddy seeds and are waiting for the monsoon which has already touched Kerala. Monsoon is expected to reach Odisha after Rajo, an agrarian festival.
These days, the farmers are not so much worried about the monsoon as they are about the vacant posts of agricultural officers and staff.
The farmers have alleged that they are not getting any tips about how to sow seeds, when and how to use fertilisers and pesticides. These pieces of advice are very important to reap a good harvest. But we are not sure as to what would be our fate in the absence of agriculture officials, rued some farmers.
Five assistant agriculture officers are supposed to be at the agriculture district office. But only three are managing the show. Moreover, one of them doubles up as the agriculture district officer (ADO) as the ADO post has been lying vacant for a long time.
The block level picture is also not so encouraging.
Each of Kamakhyanagar and Bhuban has two assistant agriculture officers. Parjang has one and Kankadahad has none.
If situation arises, assistant agriculture officers from head office, Kamakhyanagar or Bhuban, work at Kankadahad and Parjang.
Likewise, out of a total 53 sanctioned posts of rural agriculture staff in this agriculture district, 27 posts have been lying vacant. Six are doing the jobs of 13 rural agriculture staff in Kamakhyanagar block. Similarly, seven out of 13 in Bhuban block, six out of 13 in Kankadahad block and seven out of 14 rural agriculture staff are presently working.
As one staff member has been assigned to two to three panchayats, they are not able to be in touch with the farmers. Moreover, the farmers find it difficult to distinguish the staff from the visitors coming from nearby villages.
When contacted, agriculture district officer in-charge, Devi Prasad Sahu said, “Our state’s mainstay is agriculture. Kamakhyanagar has been given the status of ‘agriculture district’, but what has emerged as main problem is the staff shortage. The problem is arising as there is hardly any appointment at higher level, affecting the implementations of programmes at grass root levels.”
Until and unless the higher-ups show any interest in improving the lower level situation, development can never be achieved in the agriculture sector, he added.
PNN