Berhampur: The first monsoon showers in Ganjam on Friday brought cheers to farmers as it will help in the kharif cultivation. The southwest monsoon arrived in the state on June 8 but did not advance much till now leaving farmers worried about starting kharif cultivation.
“The first monsoon showers in the district not only brought respite from the scorching heat to the residents, but also brought cheers for us,” a farmer said.
“We were desperately waiting for the rain,” said Sudhir Sabat, a farmer in Purushottampur block.
The paddy coverage so far has been just 25,000 hectares out of the targeted 1.79 lakh hectares. “With the monsoon advancing in the state, we expect more rain in the days to come which will expedite paddy transplantation,” said S K Nanda, in-charge, chief district agriculture officer (CDAO), Ganjam.
He said he will start transplantation of paddy as soon as rainwater fills up the field. Sameer Pradhan, another farmer in Sheragada block, said though monsoon has advanced the rain is not yet sufficient for transplantation.
Farmers said they could not carry out kharif operation due to a prolonged dry spell. Last year during this time, around 30% paddy coverage had been achieved due to timely rain, they said.
The IMD on Friday said monsoon has covered 24 out of 30 districts.

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