BERHAMPUR: Recurring natural calamities and lack of irrigation facility have hit cultivation in the district. Around 75 per cent of the population in Ganjam depends on agriculture for livelihood. A sizeable portion of farming is rain-fed. In the last one year, the district has faced crop loss due to both heavy rain and drought and lack of irrigation facilities has only added to the farmers’ woes.As a result, many of the farmers are giving up cultivation and looking for other sources of income. There has also been a gradual reduction in the amount of area being covered under agriculture in the district. Against the kharif paddy cultivation in 4,11,680 hectares (ha) in 2010, this year the Agriculture Department has 4,11,580 ha target - 100 ha less than last year’s figure. Rabi cultivation too has witnessed a decline. Rabi paddy was cultivated in 46,000 ha last year, but this year the target has been set for 44,200 ha - 1,800 ha less. Officials in the department said this is not a matter of concern as the percentage decrease of land under cultivation is negligible. However, experts and farmers’ organisations said the percentage of land not under cultivation is much more than the official figures. According to experts, there are two main reasons _ use of chemical fertilisers which reduces the land fertility over the years and lack of irrigation facilities. Agriculture department sources said for the kharif season, irrigation facilities are provided to 61 per cent of the land. Currently, irrigation facility is provided to 2,54,000 ha whereas the target for kharif crop is 4,11,580 ha. As far as rabi crops are concerned, only 48,930 ha of land is irrigated whereas the department has set the target for 2,65,256 ha.
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