Nuapada/Ganjam: Even as pests have destroyed hectares of crops in Sinapali block of Nuapada district, affected farmers keep their fingers crossed for government aid. However, the government is yet to carry out a survey on the extent of the damage. They are also planning to migrate to other states for livelihoods and to see themselves through the distressed times.
They have demanded an immediate survey so that they could get early financial assistance. A report said farmers of Gorla, Malpada, Govindapur and Hirapur panchayats were extensively affected by the crop loss due to pest attack.
Kharif farming in the district this year got delayed due to erratic rainfall. Braving monsoon odds, farmers managed to raise paddy, but pest attack on paddy became a major concern for them.
Reports said the district received normal rainfall in August and in the second week of September. The normal rainfall had brought a little relief for them. They had intensified agriculture activities.
However, untimely rains blighted the paddy plants with their leaves drooping. Some farmers alleged that they had been seeking suggestions of agriculture officials, but the latter hardly come to their rescue. “Whatever pesticides are available in the market are being applied on plants,” rued Bhisma Neti, a farmer of Rasanpur.
Farmers had spent a lot on farming by taking loans from banks and private moneylenders. However, their expenses and labour have gone down the drain.
It may be noted here that many parts of the district have been facing pest onslaught over last four years, leaving the economy of the farmers shaken amid allegations of farmer suicides for crop failures.
With the failure of the crop and no government assistance forthcoming, farmers are planning to migrate to other states.
Meanwhile, 70 per cent of paddy in Polsara block of Ganjam district has been damaged even though the district received good rainfall. The crop was attacked by pests (brown planthoppers).
A group of farmers of Polsara block in Ganjam district, carrying damaged paddy in their hands, met the BDO and Tehsildar seeking compensation for the crop loss.
They appealed to the Tehsildar to instruct officials of agriculture department to conduct a survey for estimating the extent of the crop damage. “More than 70 per cent of the standing paddy crop suffered pest attack in the block, the Tehsildar should send a team of officials to Polsara to inspect the loss,” a farmer said.