Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government is fully prepared to provide assistance to farmers whose crops suffered extensive damage from Cyclone Dana, Deputy Chief Minister and Minister for Agriculture and Farmers’ Empowerment Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo announced on Saturday. Singh Deo shared the government’s support plans at a review meeting held at Krushi Bhavan, where officials gathered to assess the cyclone’s impact on agriculture.
Following the cyclone, district-level officers have been directed to conduct field assessments and submit geo-tagged reports on crop damage once the rains cease. The government and agriculture department will review these reports to make decisions on the necessary assistance.
The review meeting, presided over by Singh Deo, was attended by Dr. Arabinda Kumar Padhee, Principal Secretary of the Agriculture and Farmers’ Empowerment Department, along with Prem Chandra Choudhary, Director of Agriculture, and Nikhil Pawan Kalyan, Director of Horticulture. CDAOs from affected regions also joined virtually to discuss the impact.
Cyclone Dana has significantly impacted 14 districts in Odisha, with Kendrapara, Bhadrak, Balasore, Jajpur, and Mayurbhanj seeing the most substantial crop damage. According to official data, Bhadrak district experienced submersion of 88,594 hectares across seven blocks, affecting around 24,827 hectares. Kendrapara reported damage to 28,426 hectares in eight blocks, while Jajpur district saw 17,666 hectares submerged and 2,709 hectares impacted.
In Mayurbhanj district, an estimated 2,381 hectares were damaged across 16 blocks, with 1,872 hectares of land submerged. Balasore faced submersion in 4,396 hectares across 12 blocks, with 3,140 hectares affected.
Per government guidelines, small and marginal farmers with up to two hectares of farmland who experience crop losses exceeding 33 percent due to natural calamities are eligible for financial support. Assistance rates are Rs 8,500 per hectare for rainfed areas, Rs 17,000 for assured irrigated areas, and Rs 22,500 for perennial crops. Dr. Padhee emphasized that final assistance amounts will be determined after receiving comprehensive reports from district-level officers.
With the cyclone leaving large areas of farmland devastated, the Odisha government is taking swift measures to ensure relief reaches affected farmers, bolstering agricultural recovery efforts across the state.
