Bantala: A day after Orissa POST highlighted the snail menace in Gopalpur village under Bantala police limits in Angul district and the killing of about five quintals of snails a day by farmers, the officials of the horticulture department and scientists of Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) Saturday visited the affected farms.
District horticulture department deputy director Padma Lochan Das, KVK scientist Vinita Satpathy, assistant horticulture officer Anil Kumar Swain and other officials reached the vegetable fields in the village to take stock of the situation.
Realising the plight of the farmers after visiting all the affected farms, the officials held a meeting at the Anganwadi Centre of the village and explained to the victims how to control the increasing number of snails of unusual species.
The experts advised the farmers to place papaya leaves around their farms as they attract the snails. Instead of using quintals of salt to kill the snails, they should soak jute bags in hot saline water and put the snails under them to eliminate them, said the officials. This apart, the farmers were told to clean the wanted growths around the farms to prevent the entry of snails.
This is considered as the first case in the state where snails in large numbers have damaged crops affecting the livelihood of farmers.
The farmers were found clueless to contain the increasing number of snails as there is no pesticide available in local market to kill these creatures, it was learnt.
However, the scientists told the farmers that a variety of insecticides is available in Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand and Karnataka to control the snail population.
The horticulture officials said the department can provide the pesticide after collecting a 10 kg pack from Raipur if the farmers show interest in using it on a trial basis.
The department can arrange for the appointment of a pesticide dealer in the area in future once the chemical starts working on the snails, added the officials.
Besides, the government would be apprised of the situation and measures would be taken to prevent it in coming days, the officials said.
PNN
