BARIPADA: The spectre of a severe drought looms large in tribal-dominated Mayurbhanj district with no signs of rain. “Against the normal rainfall of 337 mm during July, the district received just 126 mm, thereby resulting in moisture-stress condition in around 54,170 hectares of upland paddy crops,” said Deputy Director of Agriculture Sudarshan Mohanty.He added that the paddy crop can only survive if rains lash the district continuously for the next one week. Transplantation has also been delayed due to scanty and erratic rainfall this month. If the situation continues, moisture-stress conditions will also rise in medium lands.Despite a target of covering 2,90,000 hectares under kharif paddy, so far the Agriculture Department has managed to cover just 1,90,000 hectares due to erratic and uneven distribution of rainfall. The district received 137 mm of rainfall against normal rainfall of 101 mm during May and 417 mm against normal of 265 mm in June raising hopes among farmers for a better kharif yield. Hopes were, however, shattered with the rainfall this month falling down to 37 per cent this month.
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