Puri: At a time when farmers in different parts of the state are setting their crops on fire after failing to control pest attack, farmers in the district are spending sleepless nights over gundhi bug menace.
According to the district agriculture department, gundhi bugs have hit 450 hectares of paddy crop in 11 blocks of the district. The attack is more severe in 50 hectares of farmlands.
According to sources, the district has 1, 88,745 hectares of agricultural land. Paddy has been cultivated on 1,41,107 hectares this Kharif season. However, incessant rain between October 18 and October 20, triggered by low pressure, followed by pest attack, has hit the farmers hard.
According to a government report, 33 per cent of crops in 2,283 hectares of farmland in Brahmagiri and Kanas blocks have been damaged. While the gundhi bugs have hit some portion of farmlands in each block in the district, the menace is more in Satyabadi, Delang, Pipli and Kanas blocks where hundreds of acres of crops were affected.
In Somsherpur, Bir Ramchandrapur, Pendapada and Mula Alasa area, gundhi bugs were found in the farmlands in the last 10 days. “The farmers are now in a quandary over what pesticide to be used to protect their crops. Now the farmers are bringing sacred water from Gadi Gosei Pith of Chandanpur and Benupada mutt of Delang to save their crops from the pest attack,” said Gopinath Mishra, president of Nalachal Krushak Mahasangha.
Fagucharan Parida, a farmer of Kabirajpur in Satyabadi block, said, “Gundhi bugs have attacked my one acre crop two days back. I have not contacted the agriculture department yet. I will apply pesticide after consulting the officials.”
District agriculture department deputy director Chandrasekhar Rao said, “The impact of the bugs is more when there is cold weather. Besides, the crops which are not transplanted in raw are vulnerable to gundhi bugs attack.”
“If the number of insects per plant is more than 10, the extent of pest attack is regarded as beyond the economic threshold limit (ETL). That means the extent of damage is alarming. The pest attack is beyond the ETL in Delang, Pipli, Kanas and Satyabadi block,” Rao said.
“Officials of agriculture department and agricultural scientists are visiting different blocks, examining the farmlands and suggesting ways to deal with gundhi to the farmers. Five farmlands were examined Friday. We have informed the district administration and state government about attack of gundhi bugs in 450 hectare of land,” Rao added.
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