Badasahi: After delayed monsoon and pest attack, unseasonal rains have dashed hopes of a good harvest for farmers of Badasahi block in Mayurbhanj district.
The year, so far, has been a tough one for the farmers here. Initially, they could not carry out farming owing to irregular rains. Instead of June and July, they had to sow paddy in August and September. Apart from water scarcity, they also had to face pest attacks subsequently.
Given the circumstances, unseasonal rains have come as a bolt from the blue at a time when they were preparing to harvest whatever was remaining.
Presently, the unseasonal rain has left the farmlands inundated in some of the low lying panchayats in this block such as Mangovindpur, Shalagaon, Manitri, Patisari, Chandanpur, Deulia, Balabhadrapur and Madhapur, leaving little scope for farmers to save their paddies from being destroyed.
Similarly, the harvested paddies stocked in thrashing yards are lying in open. The framers are at a loss as to how to shift the crops to safer places.
According to Radhakrushna Jena, a farmer of Kainsali village, “We cannot even sale our already harvested paddies as market yards (mandi) are yet to start operation in Badasahi.
Another farmer of Khuntapal village Ramesh Mohanta alleged they have been thrown into such a situation by the administrative officials. Had they informed us about such inclement weather conditions well in advance, we could have saved our crops.
Ajit Mohapatra, a farmer of Deulia village said the possibility of sprouting of harvested paddies lying in farmlands in low lying areas could also not be avoided. This time around, tractors or bullock carts are not available so the paddy sheaves are being carried manually to houses, he said.
In such a situation, the sharecroppers and those who have taken loans for cultivation are the worst sufferers.
Villagers and local political leaders including former block chairman Manoranjan Bala urged the administration to compensate the farmers after carrying out a proper assessment of loss.
The fate of farmers in Bhandaripokhari block in Bhadrak district is not different either. Farmers of this block are apprehensive that the untimed rainfall would result in high moisture content in their harvested paddies. They fear they would face problem in selling these paddies. At places, the possibility of sprouting is high, they observed.
PNN