Bhubaneswar, July 26 (Odisha.in) Paddy sowing which had been delayed due to late monsoon and heavy torrential rains later has picked up in Orissa as weather conditions improved, officials said Saturday.
“Sowing has been completed in about fifty per cent of the area. The rest of the area likely to be covered in a fortnight” state agriculture director Arabinda Padhee told Odisha.in adding that the government has made elaborate contingency plan to make situation favorable for farmers.
There has been no rain in most part of the state past four days and water in the firm lands has begun receding. The paddy sowing has picked up across the state and covered about fifty per cent of total 3.8 million hectors meant for kharif crop, he said.
The number of deaths due to flash floods triggered by heavy monsoon rains and depression over the Bay of Bengal over past two weeks has in the meanwhile rose to 43 even as farmers complain hundreds of hectares of crop fields still remained submerged in low laying areas.
“The flash floods death toll so far reported by today stand at 43”Birendra Karkara, an officer at state revenue control room told Odisha.in.
Odisha.in