K’handi farmers reel under crop loss due to pest attack

The Pioneer, Nov 19, 2009

Bikash Khemka | Bhawanipatna

The loss of kharif crop (paddy) due to pest attack appears to be more than 50 per cent in Kalahandi district in 2009-10. According to reliable reports, farmers cultivate paddy in 903 villages in 13 blocks where 80,342 hectares come under irrigated land and 70,856 hectares under non-irrigated land, out of a total area of 1,51,655 hectares.

In the current year, the district is reeling under pests attack in 12,007 hectares of irrigated land and 21,626 hectares of non-irrigated land. It is reported that the crop damage has been mainly caused by the Gandhi bug, sheath blight and brown plant hoppers (BHC).

The farmers depend upon 21,626 hectares of rain-fed land where shortfall of rain also affect the paddy crop. The overall kharif crop loss in Kalahandi district has been approximately calculated at Rs 3,195 lakh by the agriculture department.

Farmers of Sagbari and Kusabahi villages under Kalampur block staged a dharna in front of the block office recently alleging inadequate attention by the officials and blamed them for the crop loss.

As the adverse situation continues to remain grim, the poor farmers of the district are totally shattered now. It is worth mentioning here that the farmers’ tension attributes to repayment of bank and market loans with day-to-day family maintenance.