The Odisha government on Friday decided to encourage farmers to go for non-paddy cultivation during the coming Rabi season to compensate for crop loss in Kharif season. A decision to this effect was taken at a high level meeting chaired by Chief Secretary GC Pati at the State Secretariat.
After the meeting, Pati said that since water levels in reservoirs have dropped due to deficient rainfall, farmers will be encouraged to grow non-paddy crops. Inputs will be provided to farmers by the government and collectors will be informed after preparing plans about the types of crops in respective regions, he said.
In low lying areas where only paddy can be cultivated, the farmers will be encouraged to grow paddy in System Rice Intensification (SRI) method which requires about 40 per cent less water, Pati said.
Pati also asked the departments of Water Resources, Energy and Agriculture to coordinate on the use of reservoir water for purposes of agriculture and power generation. He said though the state has the capacity to provide irrigation to 3 lakh hectares for paddy cultivation through community lift irrigation system, the same volume of water could meet irrigation requirement of over 5 lakh hectares if non-paddy crop is cultivated.
