Cyclone Lehar: Odisha farmers shift harvested crops

Cyclone Helen hit the coast last week, forcing authorities to evacuate thousands of people in Andhra Pradesh. It killed six people and caused extensive damage to standing crops in that state.

The cyclone hit the coast weeks after another severe tropical cyclone, Phailin, in the Bay of Bengal devastated lives and damaged properties in more than 17 districts in Odisha after making landfall Oct 12 night near Gopalpur in the state's Ganjam district.

Santhagopalan said Odisha expected a bumper Kharif output of 10 million tonnes this year. The target is now 6.3 million tonne as more than 20 percent crops were damaged by Cyclone Phailin and subsequent floods.

Odisha contributes about a seventh of India's total rice production, he said.