Agriculture Department holds preparatory meeting in view of impending cyclone “Montha”

– Leave of all agriculture officers has been cancelled till 31st Oct.
– Farmers are advised to move already harvested crops to a safer place

Bhubaneswar- 27/10/2025:In view of the impending cyclone “Montha”, a preparatory meeting was held by the Agriculture Department under the chairmanship of Dr. Arabinda Kumar Padhee, Principal Secretary, Agriculture Department.
The Principal Secretary has directed that no agriculture officer will be allowed to take leave till the 31st October

Disciplinary action may also be taken in case of violation of the order. Apart from this, the advisory issued by the Agriculture Department must be conveyed to the farmers through all thepossible channels. For example, covering and shifting of the already harvested crops to higher and safer places, draining of excess water from the agricultural land, etc. As per the immediate measures post-cyclonic scenario, as soon as the water recedes from the agricultural land, the agriculture officers will immediately go to the fields and assess the crop damage.

As per the instructions of Deputy Chief Minister Shri K V Singhdeo, no affected farmer should be left out in the crop loss assessment process. As per the data available, 14.17 lakh hectares of agricultural land in the state have been insured. Farmers affiliated to PMFBY can apply for insurance on the NCIP portal, or can call the toll-free number 14447, or contact the WhatsApp chatbot number 7065514447. The preparation of the control room has also been completed by the Agriculture Department.

The meeting was attended by the Director, Agriculture, Shri Shubham Saxena, Additional Secretary Dr. Ganeshwar Jena, senior officers from the department, Chief District Agriculture Officers, and Asst. Horticulture Officers from all the districts joined the meeting through video conference.