Bhubaneswar, Feb. 25 -- A sudden Nor'wester storm has dealt a severe blow to maize farmers in Odisha's Cuttack district. The first Kalbaisakhi of the season yesterday destroyed nearly 50 acres of standing maize crop in Brahmapur village under Banki block, sources said on Wednesday.

Farmers were only days away from harvesting and selling their produce in the market when the powerful storm flattened their farmlands. What was expected to bring income after months of hard work has now turned into a major financial loss.

The untimely weather event has left cultivators distressed as their ready-to-harvest crop was wiped out overnight. With the maize fields severely damaged, farmers fear a significant hit to their seasonal earnings.

OTV spoke...