Pest invades T-aman on several thousand hectares in 2 N dists
2nd blow on Kurigram cultivators after flood; DAE deploys block supervisors to help farmers combat majrapoka in a natural way
Our Correspondent, Rangpur
Farmers have become frustrated due to massive pest attack on transplanted aman (T-aman) on several thousand hectares of land in greater Rangpur and Dinajpur districts.Agriculturists have identified the pest as Stemborer (majrapoka) which damages paddy very fast. On contact, the Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE), Rangpur, Aynul Hoque told this correspondent'the situation is still in control.' But farmers told this correspondent the pests already created havoc in different areas. 'The pests are eating up paddy leaves which ultimately turn yellow before drying up', they added. The pest attack is the second blow to the farmers in Ulipur, Phulbari and Nageswari upazilas in Kurigram within a few weeks after the devastating flood. The deluge damaged aman plants completely on about 35,000 hectares of land in the areas. Agriculturists termed the reason as an aftermath of flood, but the DAE personnel differed with them. Obaidur Rahman, a farmer in Moghobachha area inKurigram Sadar upazila disclosed that aman plants on aboutone acre of his land were damaged due to pest attack. The Deputy Director (DD) of the DAE, Kurigram told The Daily Star that his department had deployed block supervisors to help farmers combat Stemborer in a natural way without using insecticides. They would suggest farmers to use pesticides in their lands if the procedure fails to combat pests, he added. The attack is massive in the aforementioned three upazilas in Kurigram, according to sources in the DAE.
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