Dried Riverbed Threatens Maize Crops: Farmers Brace for Harsh Impact
Nabarangpur: Although the government has introduced several schemes, their improper implementation has turned out to be a disaster for drought-affected maize farmers. Despite holding regular meetings at the Zilla Parishad and DISHA (District Development Coordination and Monitoring Committee) levels with local representatives and district administrators, the focus remains mainly on issues like roads and ration cards. These representatives often prioritize personal and party interests during these resolution meetings, leading to a lack of vision for addressing critical needs.
As a result, the essential demands of the farmers are being neglected, causing severe water shortages for maize cultivation in Nabarangpur. Normally, maize is cultivated in the Rabi season, but this year, due to untimely rainfall, crops were sown earlier. Now, even before the crops have matured, the river water has completely dried up. This situation has caused great distress among farmers.
Farmers have urged the government to implement long-term water conservation and storage measures. While the district agriculture officer has claimed that maize cultivation in the district is in good condition, the ground reality paints a completely different picture. It remains to be seen whether the people’s representatives will come forward to genuinely support the farmers in the future.
Even though there have been announcements of assistance for maize farmers this Rabi season, the major concern is how the agriculture department is handling the severe drought conditions in the district. The lack of coordinated planning and reliance on surface-level information has left farmers to deal with the crisis on their own.