He also interacted with farmers and input dealers of the district. IT Minister Ramesh Chandra Majhi told Maharathy that in Nabarangpur the prime occupation of people is agriculture as more than 80 per cent of people depend on it.
The Agriculture Minister was told that due to weak monsoon, drought like situation has prevailed in the district as the district has received even less than 50 per cent of the average rainfall in the last two months. Minister Majhi demanded that Nabarangpur should be declared a drought-affected district.
MP, Pradeep Majhi, demanded irrigation facility in the district and immediate steps for irrigation of down stream of the Indravati project, and construction of tail dam at Chandahandi Sati Jhar Dam at Jharigam.
The local rural farmers conveyed their grievance to the Minister that there has been an artificial scarcity of DAP and potash in the district and requested him to look into the matter. The farmers also demanded supply of modern agriculture equipment with financial support, establishment of soil testing laboratory, seed processing unit, maize and sugarcane processing unit in the district.
Maharathi assured to look into the problems and announced that a soil testing laboratory and a seed processing unit will be established at Umerkote. He said that the Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and MP Pyari Mohapatra will visit the district for the laying foundation stone of the maize processing unit at Semala under Papadahandi block, and sugarcane processing unit at Churchanda. Among others, District Collector, Sibabrata Dash, Dabugam MLA, Bhujabala Majhi, Nabarangpur MLA, Mahohar Randhari, Zilla Parisad Chairman, Bhagirathi Nayak, were present.
