Caterpillars devour paddy fields

The Statesman, 26th July, 2008

A huge pest attack on large tracts of farmland have acted as the proverbial last straw on the camel’s back for the farmers here, crippling their economic condition.Vast stretch of paddy fields in Kalahandi and Sambalpur districts have been gripped by swarms of caterpillars called Leda Poka in local dialect. These caterpillars have created a panic among the farmers, as they are known to wipe out large areas of farming lands in their destruction spree. The caterpillars are known to keep underground during the daytime and feed on the crops at night. According to agriculture department sources, all the 13 blocks in Kalahandi have been affected to some extent by these pests, particularly, Kesinga, Bhawanipatna, Karlamunda and Golamunda. The pests have also been reported in the Indravati canal area under Kalampur, Junagarh, Dharamgarh and Jaipatna. “The paddy fields near banks of river Hati and Tel rivers are also swarming with caterpillars. The magnitude of their devastation is increasing with each passing day” said a local farmer.In Sambalpur, the worst affected regions are those in Padmapur and Bargarh districts. The fields in the rain fed areas of Paikmal, Sohela, Gaisilet, Bijepur, and Jharbandh have also been affected by the menace, sources said. “As it is we were under severe financial constraints because of the flood situation earlier and the shortage of fertilisers, now this threat is sure to ruin us,” said another farmer whose field is affected by the caterpillars. At a Zila Parishad meeting in Kalahandi, members demanded that steps should be taken immediately by the concerned authorities to curb the menace. According to the assessment report by the agriculture department conducted recently more than 15000 acres have been severely affected in Kalahandi district. The Kalahandi district administration here has decided to take up mass spraying of pesticides in paddy fields to combat the situation. However the dearth of pesticides in the department stores and lack of personnel for the operation is causing a hindrance, department sources said. Meanwhile the deputy director, agriculture has urged the directorate of agriculture to release at least 2000 litres of petrol to tackle the situation, they added."In Sambalpur however the situation is under control," said the District Agriculture Officer (DAO) of Padmapur Mr Pradeep Barik. “The situation this year is not as serious as it was last year. But as precautionary measures, methane-parathion was supplied to the farmers free of cost and had been spread over 1600 hectares of land under direct supervision of our department,” he added.“The department provided 50 quintals of this pesticide to five blocks and farmers have been advised to spray endo-sulphane available at 50 per cent subsidy from the department,” he further said. “The collector Mr SC Padhi is also actively involved in taking stock of the situation to control the pest attack,” he added.The farmers in the district however, remain fearful of the surging pest epidemic. “My entire batch of seedlings has been destroyed by these caterpillars,” said Mr Laxmi Prasad Mahattam of Mahulpali village. “The caterpillars are sure to devastate larger areas since the present weather condition is favourable for their growth,” he added.