Pest attack on wheat contained: Experts

ATTRIBUTE IT TO FALL IN TEMPERATURE; SAY EGGS OF PINK STEM BORER AFFECTED CROP

MANSA: The pest attack on wheat saplings by pink stem borer has been contained with the fall in temperature, said agriculture officer Jasleen Kaur. As per agriculture experts, the pest had rampantly attacked the crop which was sown earlier in the last week of October due to high temperature.

As per the survey conducted by agriculture department in five blocks of Mansa district, farms in over 90 villages and the crop on around 926.35 hectares (2289 acres) was affected by pink stem borer.

Jasleen Kaur cited high temperature as the major reason behind pest attack.

She said, “Initially eggs of pink stem borer was found in paddy stubble which further resurged with high temperature and farmers who had sown the crop before November faced the problem. However, the pest attack has been under control now and gradually decreasing with the fall in temperature.”

Earlier experts from agriculture department had visited the effected wheat farms in the district and suggested Ekalux pesticide to contain its spread.

The farmers whose crops were damaged in the pest attack have been demanding compensation of ₹5,000 per acre.

The farmers have claimed that the wheat sown by happy seeder machine and the fields where paddy was not burnt have been mostly attacked by the pest.

Jaswinder Singh, a farmer of Dalel singh wala village, who has sown wheat on 50 acres, said, “I have re-cultivated wheat crop with 50kg seeds as crops on over 15 acres were damaged in the pest attack. I had to spend around ₹4000-5000 on cultivation of one acre,”

“The government must provide the expenses spent on re-cultivation or we will put paddy stubble on fire in our fields from next year,”

A fortnight ago after the farmers here held a sit-in at agriculture department here, the experts from Mansa had visited the effected fields and revealed that the wheat saplings on over 926 hectares were affected.