Cultivation severely affected by disruption in Internet service

Surjit Kumar dhal,BHUBANESWAR, MAY 22: Gross disturbances in Internet service due to the recent cyclone have severely affected paddy cultivation in the State, leading to uncertainty among the farmers.

Of late farmers have been purchasing paddy seed online from the State Seeds Corporation, which is currently proving impossible due to breakdown in Internet services.

Use of Internet for the purpose has been made compulsory for direct benefit transfer of subsidy money against purchase of seed. The farmers have to submit details along with bank account number online.

Although a fortnight has elapsed since Akshaya Tritiya by which time the Seeds Corporation which should have supplied some lakh quintals of paddy seed to all farmers, has supplied only 30,000 quintals due to disruption in Internet service.

Sowing activities normally start from Akshaya Tritiya and are completed before the monsoon arrives.

But this time although monsoon is forecast to enter Odisha in the first month of June, the current position indicates that farming activities will severely suffer unless Internet services are restored early.

On the other hand, an worried administration has, in the mean time, asked the NIC to set right the website meant for farmers.

Besides, seed farmers in the State are facing a major problem as they are still waiting for the Seeds Corporation to buy their stock.