Simulia: The farming community in various parts of Jaleswar block in Balasore district is worried about growing onslaught of pests on paddy plants despite application of pesticides, a report said.
Farmers said now is the time of flowering but leaves of paddy plants have wilted and turned brownish and yellowish. This disease has been spreading to new areas with each passing day.
“We have invested a lot in terms of money and labour into the paddy cultivation. This year, we may not be able to save paddy from the pests. Paddy crops continued to face pest attack. The pest onslaught has been spreading in hectares of farmland,” farmers said.
They said pests have already caused extensive damage to crops while leaves of paddy plants get scorched due to this reason.
They lamented that they had sprayed pesticides as prescribed by agriculture officials and agriculture scientists, but to no avail.
Farmers pointed out that saving the paddy plants has been a difficult proposition. It was learnt that the pest attack has been spreading in 35 panchayats and in 17 wards under the municipality.
Farmers demanded that agriculture department should take stock of the situation and supply the right kind of pesticide to check the pest menace.
Farmers said that the leaf-scorching disease threatened to damage paddy in 10,000 to 15,000 hectares of land.
If such farm crisis is not stopped, many of affected farmers, particularly those who have taken loans, may commit suicide, they said.
PNN