Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Government has assured farmers of all possible assistance following the crop damage caused by the July 2026 flood situation. Deputy Chief Minister and Minister of Agriculture & Farmers’ Empowerment and Energy, Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo, on Friday chaired a high-level review meeting to assess the extent of agricultural losses and review preparedness for relief and rehabilitation measures.
During the meeting, the Deputy Chief Minister reiterated the Government’s commitment to a “Farmers First” approach and appealed to farmers in flood-affected areas not to panic. He said that early assessments, contingency plans, and relief measures have already been activated to safeguard the interests of the farming community.
The meeting was attended by Commissioner-cum-Secretary, Agriculture, Sachin Ramchandra Jadhav; OUAT Vice-Chancellor Dr. Pravat Roul; Director of Horticulture Kalunge Gorakh Waman; Director of Soil Conservation Subrat Kumar Panda; APICOL Managing Director Shubhranshu Mishra; Managing Director of Odisha State Seeds Corporation (OSSC), along with senior officials from various departments.
The State Government has constituted a special assessment team to conduct a detailed evaluation of crop losses across affected areas. The panel will submit its report shortly, based on which a comprehensive agricultural assistance package will be prepared. Priority will be given to districts that have suffered maximum crop damage.
The Managing Director of OSSC presented a contingency report on seed availability and preparedness to support farmers during the post-flood recovery period.
Meanwhile, the Agriculture Department, in coordination with Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT) and experts from Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs), has started issuing daily crop advisories to help farmers protect and revive damaged crops. Farmers have been advised to take immediate measures for the maintenance of paddy nurseries, adopt short-duration crop varieties, and shift to alternative non-paddy crops in severely affected areas.
The Government has also decided to focus on the upcoming Rabi season to compensate for possible losses during the Kharif season. A three-tier grievance redressal mechanism has been established, with a nodal officer at the headquarters and dedicated officers at district and block levels to address farmers’ concerns.
Farmers can seek assistance through the toll-free helpline number 155333, which will remain operational every day from 8 AM to 8 PM.
Senior officials from the Agriculture Department, Water Resources Department, and the Special Relief Commissioner’s (SRC) Office were present at the meeting.
On the occasion, Deputy Chief Minister Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo expressed gratitude on behalf of the people of Odisha and the farming community to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for extending the PM-KISAN scheme for another five years and approving the Pradhan Mantri Surya Sarovar Yojana (PM-SSY) for the development of floating solar photovoltaic projects integrated with energy storage systems.
