Nuapada: While Covid-19 has made life of common people miserable in the state, farmers in fringe areas of Nuapada are worried over the looming threat from swarms of locusts that are reportedly on way from neighbouring Chhattisgarh, a report said.
The administration and the agriculture department are equally worried over the threat at this critical time. Officials of the agriculture department have been holding hectic parleys and are mulling over ways to deal with the possible threat.
Rabi paddy is yet to be harvested in bordering villages such as Nuapada, Khalana, Sabaranga, Kendubahara, parkod and Beltukiri.
Farmers in these areas have voiced concern that if locusts head towards bordering parts of the district, they will incur huge loss this season.
It was leant that locusts have invaded four fringe villages near Bharatpur in Karuan district of the neighbouring state.
Keeping in view the locust threat, deputy director of agriculture Jahid Mohammed recently held an emergency meeting after which farmers in fringe areas have been alerted against locusts.
All agriculture officials and agro medicine dealers of the district have been asked to stock up necessary medicines and pesticides so that the winged threat can be tackled before they inflict damage to crops and other cultivations.
It was said that if weather remains damp, the locusts usually do not move forward.
They hoped that intermittent rains that are likely tos tart from next week could be a hurdle for the marauding insects.
“We are well equipped to deal with the possible locust threat in the bordering areas. A 24X7 control room has been opened for farmers to intimate them on the influx of the winged threat to their areas so that swift action will be taken up. People need to dial 9439264695 to inform the department,” said deputy director of agriculture Jahid Mohammed.
PNN