Farmers worried as drought hits Sariaan paddy August 13, 2011 10:49:02 PM

Farmers worried as drought hits Sariaan paddy
August 13, 2011 10:49:02 PM

SUDHIR MISHRA | Balangir

Irregular and scanty monsoon rainfall this year has badly affected paddy sowing and subsequent agricultural operations in Balangir district. The drought situation has affected Sariaan variety of paddy, which is offered to the deity first and then consumed during the most popular Nuankhai festival in western Odisha.

The newly sprouted paddy is first offered to the local deities as a mark of gratitude and then consumed by the people during the festival. In the entire western Odisha, people, cutting across caste, class and creed, observe the Nabarnna or Nuankhai for days together. However, with the Sariaan paddy variety having been worst hit due to the drought, the locals are worried as to how to observe the festival as per the tradition. This year the festival falls on September 2.

The Sariaan paddy is a 90-day duration crop, grown mainly in the upland. According to reports, all early varieties of paddy, including the Sarrian, were targeted to be taken up in 6,000 hectares of land. The Sarian variety was taken up in 600 hectares in the district alone. The Sariaan variety cultivated in the early June has grown well. But the paddy cultivated later has been hit by the drought.

The Sariaan variety would require another 20 to 30 days to reach its fruit stage, informed DDA, Agriculture Department, Manoranjan Mallick, who added that the advent of cash crop has spelled doom for the cultivation of this variety paddy.

A few decades ago, Sariaan variety paddy was cultivated by a large number of poor and vulnerable people in their Attland. As it was ready by the Hindu calendar month of Bhadrab, it used to meet the food stress period of the poor people.

However, the change in food habits and easy availability of rice through the PDS has further reduced the area under Sariaan paddy cultivation. But the advent of cash crops like cotton and maize in the district has led to the decline in the area under the Sariaan paddy cultivation in the district as the farmers are more interested for the former crops.

Farmer’s are now more interested to cultivate cotton and maize in their upland or ATT land. This year cotton cultivation has been taken up in large patch of ATT land of the district, said Bhajaram Sahu, a farmer. He attributed it to th declining of land area under Sariaan paddy variety.
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