Nabarangpur: Thirty acre of sugarcane was reduced to ashes at Badepur village under Kosagumuda block in Nabarangpur district, Friday.
While no exact reason of the fire was known, the fire broke out in a farmland and soon spread to nearby fields. Hundreds of people tried to douse the flames, but in vain.
Locals suspected it to have been caused by some miscreants. The sugarcane farmers suffered heavy loss and demanded necessary compensation.
On receipt of information, Kosagumuda fire personnel reached the village and doused the flames. Meanwhile, it was rumoured that the farmers themselves set the crop on fire over severe pest attack and crop loss.
The farmers attributed the extreme measure to severe pest infestation.
According to farmers, pesticides they were provided by the administration were found to be ineffective against pests. Reports said the farmers were further depressed and angered by the district administration’s apathy to their plight that prompted them to resort to burning of the crop.
Angry farmers accused the agriculture department of not providing adequate amount of pesticides on time. Farmers said the pest attacks had dashed the hopes they had placed on good harvest and alleged that the agriculture department had taken no ameliorative measures although they had alerted the official of the situation.
“They do not even spread awareness about the situation,” a farmer claimed.
The farmers demanded an honest survey of the situation and sought compensation for crop loss and waiver of agricultural loans. They demanded a team visit the villages and prepare a report of the loss suffered by the farmers. They demanded that pesticides be provided to them immediately.
When contacted, deputy director of agriculture said he had no reports of farmers torching their paddy crop. He assured to look into the matter and take necessary action.
PNN