Plants survive extreme rainfall in Sundargarh, Odisha

ROURKELA: Non-rice crops have weathered the scare of excess rain in large parts of rain-fed Sundargarh and the district is on the verge of achieving its sowing target of 1.18 lakh hectares (ha).

In contrast, heavy rains in August have helped achieve the target of 1.94 lakh ha paddy cover after rainfall in June and July delayed paddy cultivation activities and standing crops across the district are in good condition.

Unlike rice fields, non-rice plants can survive on less water, but accumulation over a long period of time is considered harmful to the plants.

Despite a late arrival of monsoon and inadequate rainfall in June and July, the district recorded a healthy rainfall of 470 mm in August, while the normal rainfall for the month was 357 mm. As of August 15, at least 17 blocks had received excess rain while eight blocks recorded over 500mm. Even in September, when the monsoon weakens, at least five blocks experienced excess rainfall.

Chief District Agriculture Officer (CDAO) Harihar Nayak said cultivation of non-rice crops starts from August in Sundargarh but due to heavy rains caused by the low pressure, farmers planned sowing to avoid excessive water impact.

Non-rice crops are grown on the plateaus of Sundargarh and the nature of the soil is a boon for the farmers. During heavy rains, farmers can divert excess water with little effort to protect non-paddy standing crops.

The CDAO said the coverage target of 1.18 lakh hectares is nearing target and crops like moong and biri, which are sown in June and July, are in pod formation to harvest stage while groundnuts are at maturity stage in most areas .

Vegetable plants sown at different times are harvested in some places. Other late-sown non-rice plants were in vegetative state and the overall condition of non-rice plants was very good, he said.

For the 2024 Kharif season, the cultivation target for non-rice crops was around 1.18 lakh ha, including maize on 12,600 ha, millets on 12,440 ha, pulses on 36,800 ha, oilseeds on 14,600 ha, vegetables on 35,800 ha and spices on 5,250 Ha.