The agriculture sector might be severely affected in the state even if cyclone Hudhud spares Odisha. The anticipated wind and resultant heavy rain would damage standing paddy crop, experts said.
"Currently, the standing paddy is in flowering stage. Wind speed touching 50 km per hour can inflict severe damage on the crop," said Chandramani Khanda, an agriculture scientist with Bhubaneswar centre of International Rice Research Institute, Philippines. He visited the paddy fields on Thursday.
"Paddy will face problems of grain-filling and go waste," he said, adding, some crops in the highland are nearing harvest. They would fall.
Similar was the opinion of Gopal Panda, a professor of geography at Utkal University. "The crop will rot in the rain," he said. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted wind speed reaching up to 70 kmph along and off south Odisha coasts from October 11 morning. It would increase to 80-90 kmph from October 12.
It also said heavy rainfall at some places over coastal Odisha. Ganjam, Gajapati, Puri and Khurda may experience heavy rain, said an IMD officer. Farmers in western Odisha are a worried lot. "We suffer crop loss but since the area does not come under cyclone-affected areas, the government does not compensate us," said Umesh Mishra, a Sambalpur-based farmer leader.
Government authorities have kept their fingers crossed. "It is too early to predict damage. But all losses will be fairly assessed for compensation," said director (agriculture) R S Gopalan over phone from Maharashtra where he is on election duty.
Source - http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/
