90% LESS JUNE RAINFALL HITS FARM OPS IN B’NGIR Wednesday, 22 June 2016 | SUDHIR MISHRA | BALANGIR | in Bhubaneswar

STATE EDITIONS

90% LESS JUNE RAINFALL HITS FARM OPS IN B’NGIR

Wednesday, 22 June 2016 | SUDHIR MISHRA | BALANGIR | in Bhubaneswar

1

2

3

4

5

0

Agricultural operations in Balangir district are yet to start this year even though it is June 21, thanks to total absence of monsoon rainfall.

Last year, there was a severe drought in the district. Yet, the district had experienced a rainfall of 219 mm in June against an average rainfall of 202 mm.

This year, the district has received only 21mm rainfall where as the normal average rainfall is 202mm, a deficient of 90 per cent, informed an agriculture official.

Expecting a normal rainfall, paddy cultivation this year was targeted to be taken up in 1, 85,000 hectares. But the cultivation has not been taken up at all. Similarly, cotton crop was scheduled to be taken up in around 36,000 hectares. Cotton crop is a 150-day crop. The delay in sowing is directly co-related with production. The sowing of cotton seed should be over by June 30.With barely 10 days left for June 30, the fate of cotton crop in the absence of rain is looking bleak, he said.

In case of paddy neither sowing nor transplantation of paddy has taken place. Last year, erratic and inadequate rainfall had created water scarcity. This year absence of rainfall has further accentuated the water crisis in the town and village area. Wells have gone dry. Water level in in wells and ponds has gone down drastically. The  shortage of water has also affected plantation activities in the district.