Crop loss in 16 districts;Naveen orders survey

Bhubaneswar, Nov 11 (UNI) Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik today directed both Revenue and the Agriculture departments to conduct a joint survey to assess the crop loss due to scarcity of rain.

The direction came after Mr Patnaik reviewed the situation at a high level meeting here.

Agriculture Minister Surendranath Naik told newspersons that paddy was adversely affected in 16 of the 30 districts of the state due to moisture stress.

The district, which were affected, included Balasore, Bolangir, Sonepur, Ganjam, Gajapati, Kalahandi, Keonjhar, Koraput, Malkangiri, Nawarangpur, Rayagada,Khurda, Nayagarha,Baragarha and Sundergarh.

Mr Naik said paddy crop was damaged in 2.86 lakh hectare of land and Malkangiri district was the worst-hit with crop loss reported in more than 61,000 hectare of land followed by 52,000 hectare of land in Nayagarh district.

The Minister said after the survey report was received a sum of Rs 4,500 per hectare for irrigated land and Rs 2,500 per hectare for non-irrigated land would be provided from the state calamity fund to the farmers as assistance.

He said the villages would be taken as a unit and assistance would be provided to farmers in those villages where the crop loss was more than 50 per cent.

The meeting had also decided to arrange irrigation facilities for the rabi crop. While lift irrigation facilities was extended to 1.48 lakh hectare during the last rabi season, a decision was taken to supply water to two lakh hectare during the coming rabi season, the Minister said.

UNI BD-DP SJC RL NS2218