Bhubaneswar: Months of hard work, huge investments and hopes of a better income have been washed away by floodwaters in Ganjam district following the impact of Cyclone ‘Arnab’. Large stretches of vegetable farmland have been submerged, leaving farmers with massive financial losses.
Among the affected farmers is Biswajit Panda, a vegetable farmer from Kaithakhandi village under Digapahandi block. After borrowing money and spending his savings, Panda had cultivated vegetables such as ridge gourd, brinjal, spine gourd and radish on nearly five acres of land. He had hoped that a good harvest would help him repay his loans and improve his family’s financial condition. However, floodwaters destroyed his crops just before harvesting.
“Everything I had invested has been washed away. I do not know how I will recover from such a huge loss,” Panda said with teary eyes.
He started cultivating vegetables around three months ago and was expecting a good yield, as weather conditions had remained favourable.
He had procured brinjal seeds worth Rs 35,000 from the Raipur region of Chhattisgarh. His other investments included Rs 70,000 on mulching sheets, Rs 1.5 lakh on drip irrigation facilities, Rs 50,000 on other agricultural expenses, Rs 2 lakh towards labour charges and nearly Rs 3 lakh on bamboo support structures. His total investment was around Rs 10 lakh, of which Rs 4 lakh was borrowed.
The situation turned disastrous after five gates of the Ghodahada dam were opened due to a rise in water level. Floodwater suddenly inundated the agricultural fields and destroyed the crops.
Panda said his crops had also suffered damage during earlier cyclones, including Phailin and Fani, but the latest flood had caused the biggest setback of his life.
Another farmer, Laxman Kumar Goud, has also suffered heavy losses. He had mortgaged his gold ornaments to arrange money for cultivation and worked hard in the hope of securing a good harvest.
Goud had cultivated bitter gourd, okra, cucumber and pumpkin, investing more than Rs 2 lakh in the process. The floodwaters have now destroyed almost the entire vegetable crop.
Around 25 bharans of his paddy cultivation have also been damaged. After the floodwater receded, he engaged labourers to lift and support the damaged plants in an attempt to save them. However, he said the chances of getting a reasonable harvest were now very low.
The damage is not confined to Digapahandi block. Several other parts of Ganjam district, including Hinjilicut, Sheragada, Sanakhemundi, Purushottampur and Sorada, which are known for their vegetable cultivation, have also reported extensive crop losses.
Meanwhile, an agricultural assessment team visited Kaithakhandi village and assessed the extent of damage to the crops.
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