Champua farmers face double whammy

Champua: Favourable weather this year helped paddy cultivation flourish across the Champua area in Keonjhar district. With more than half of the paddy fields ripening and harvesting underway in some areas, farmers were optimistic about a good yield — until wildlife and pests began wreaking havoc. Wild elephants and a severe brown planthopper (locally known as Matiagundi) infestation have left farmers anxious.

Herds of elephants and wild boars from nearby forests have been entering ripened fields, trampling vast stretches of paddy rather than consuming it. Elephant herds have made areas under the Champua, Balibandha and Ukhunda forest sections their new habitats and enter adjoining villages and farmlands as evening descends. According to official data, elephants have damaged crops belonging to 787 farmers across 1,69,527 acres this year.

The state government has reportedly disbursed Rs 32,14,695 as compensation. Adding to the crisis, the population of wild boars in the region has also increased. Boars enter fields after dusk, rooting through ripened paddy and causing extensive damage.

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Despite farmers’ attempts to guard their crops from elephants and boars, many are now losing their harvests to the brown planthopper pest. Agriculture department sources said about 110 acres of farmland in the Champua block have been affected by the pest outbreak. Assistant Agriculture Officer Ramamani Sahu said the insects suck the sap from paddy plants, drying and destroying them completely.

Farmers are being advised to apply pesticides to control the spread. Meanwhile, Assistant Conservator of Forests and Forest Ranger Akshay Chhatria said the Forest department has taken steps to minimise elephant movement and protect both lives and property. However, he acknowledged that elephant herds often split and cause crop damage before being driven away. Compensation to affected farmers is being provided as per government norms, he added.