Odisha expects good paddy yield

The Odisha government is expecting good paddy yield this year as the state has received nine percent more rainfall than normal during the June-September monsoon season, an official said Thursday.

"The condition of crops is good. We are expecting bumper crop this year as rainfall was normal," Rajesh Verma, Odisha agriculture department secretary, told IANS.

"We expected good crop last year too as rainfall was good but cyclone Phailin caused heavy damage," he said here.

The monsoon normally reaches the state by June 10. However, it was delayed by about a week this year. The state received 1,248 mm of rainfall against a normal of 1,150 mm during the June-September period, a Met department official, told IANS.

Verma said if everything goes fine, the state may produce over nine million tonnes of paddy in the current financial year.

A good monsoon is crucial for the state which has 73 percent of the workforce engaged in the agriculture sector. Odisha is country's seventh largest producer of rice.