After rain, insects damage paddy crop

Basant Rath | Nabarangpur Pest attacks on paddy crops have been reported from Kosagumuda, Nandahandi, Papadahandi, Nabarangpur, Umerkote, Raighar, Chandahandi, Jharigam and Tentulikhunti blocks. Nearly 30,000 hectares of the crop area have been affected by swarming caterpillars, leda pokas, stem borer pests and bacterial leaf blight disease. Meanwhile, heavy rains in the month of July and August in Nabarangpur had also destroyed crops in at least 10,000 hectares of land After the rains, it is the pest problem for the farmers of the district. The worms have damaged about 30,000 hectares of land in the 10 blocks of the district during the last one week. According to the farmers of the Nabarangpur, Nandahandi, Tentulikhunti, Kosagumuda, Papadahandi, Dabugam and Umerkote blocks, the incessant rains and the resultant waterlogging have bred pests like stemborer, ceaseworm, blast, thrives and cut worms, which have spoiled the paddy saplings. Since the farmers had to spend huge amounts on draining out the floodwater, they are too broke to purchase pesticides. The farmers fear that if the pest attacks continue for another week, it would badly hit the kharif output. Sources said since the monsoon came on time, the farmers had sown paddy seeds in the first week of July after continuous rains, and now, at the middle stage of the crop the pests attacks have become widespread in the district. Especially, the appearance of the stemborer, ceaseworm, blast, thrives insects in the paddy fields is a new crisis for the farmers. The insects have debilitated the crops in thousands of acres of land. With the harvesting season approaching and water yet to recede completely, the cultivators are finding themselves in a piquant situation and fear heavy losses. Meanwhile, the farmers have urged the State Government to provide them assistance to overcome the inevitable problems they would be facing due to crop loss. As per the norms, the Government and the district administration should provide pesticides on subsidy through the Agriculture Department outlets, but no such step has been taken as yet. The District Agriculture Officer said the authorities had no funds to aid the farmers. The Pioneer Bhubaneswar, 6 Sept. 2010