Bhubaneswar, July 16 - Flash floods and heavy monsoon rains which have already killed more than a dozen people over the past four days in Orissa have also hit farming in the state, officials said Thursday.

Rains continued to lash many part of the state for the fifth consecutive day Thursday although the weather conditions have improved in parts of the coastal belt including state capital Bhubaneswar and adjoining Cuttack.

Orissa's Minister for Revenue and Disaster Management Surya Narayan Patro said at least 23 rain-related deaths have been reported so far from different regions, eight of them during past the 24 hours. He said 15 deaths have been confirmed.

He said the situation is likely to improve soon as water levels in most of the rivers are receding.

Orissa is one of the major rice-growing states in India, with about four million hectares under paddy cultivation. Over 62 percent of the cropped area in the state is rain-fed.