Chhattisgarh paddy transplantation work slow

Less than normal rainfall in the rice bowl of the country has hit the paddy transplantation work in Chhattisgarh.

The state was supposed to receive 803 millimeters (mm) of rainfall till date. It had, however, recorded 674 mm of rains, which is about about 20 per cent below the average of 1334 mm.

Though the Bastar region has received good rainfall, other divisions including Raipur, Bilaspur and Sarguja are yet to record sufficient rains. The lesser amount of rainfall in the paddy growing pockets had however hit the transplantation work.

“About 20 to 30 per cent paddy transplantation is yet to be completed in the state” said a senior official with the agriculture department, adding that 700000 hectares have been affected due to less than average rainfall in the paddy growing belts.

Officials in the department said that paddy yield could be affected if immediate action was not taken.

The state government had however swung into action to compensate the loss. “I had dashed off a letter to the minister for water resources urging to immediately release water from the reservoirs”, state agriculture minister Chandrashekhar Sahu said.