Bhawanipatna: The cotton farmers of Kalahandi district are worried lot as their crop has been hit by pests and diseases, reports said. Diseases have ravaged the cotton crop of the district. The worms eat away the cotton fibre and bolls, causing huge losses to farmers.
The farmers who are already reeling from the loss of the paddy crop due to pest attacks and floods are now worried as their last hope of a good harvest is getting dashed.
Cotton is cultivated on 57,711 hectares in 13 blocks of the district. After being assured of pesticides and compensation by the agriculture department, many farmers took up cotton cultivation by taking loans from banks and moneylenders after suffering losses in paddy cultivation.
However, the floods caused by cyclone Titli damaged the roots and stems of the cotton plants. Now, the plants are being ravaged by pests and diseases, farmers said.
The farmers had suffered a similar fate last year and faced huge losses. They fear that the situation might be the same this year too. The farmers are now worried about repaying loans and feeding their families.
Even though the administration had promised to provide fertilisers at low prices, officials back out when the plants flower, a farmer said, adding that they are forced to buy pesticides at higher rates. Farmers are unable to control pests by spraying pesticides, the farmer pointed out.
The farmers said that many of them have left to work as bonded labourers to repay loans. They demanded that the administration should look into the matter and provide quality pesticides.
PNN
