Farmers seek help against locust, LWO says no danger
CHARGE Officials allege farmers are visiting dist headquarters to seek high compensation
At present, presence of ‘swarm’ in bordering areas is very low. Our continuous operation has controlled the locust attacks and situation will be in fully controlled within next two-three days
BARMER: Thousands of farmers facing locust problem for the past six months in western Rajasthan are everyday reaching the district headquarters to plead for help.
According to them, their kharif crops were damaged due to locust attacks and now the renewed locust attacks are causing damage to the rabi crops also. “Locusts have caused huge damage to the cumin crop,” claimed Madan Singh Rathore, a resident of Kubadiya village in Barmer district. He requested the government to give relief to the farmers.
Poor Singh, a resident of Chadiyali village in the district, said that locusts are continuously damaging the crops. “After kharif crops, Rabi crops also got damaged by locust attack,” he said, alleging that the locust department has turned a blind eye towards the problem. He claimed that farmers have approached the local authorities many a time and even higher officials of the locust department in Jodhpur, but to no avail. Singh claimed that locusts can be seen in large numbers in Chadiyali, Girab, Agasari, Kubadiya, Shastri Ka Gaun, Sakhali, Ratredi and many other bordering villages.
However, locust department officials claimed that the farmers were frequenting the district headquarters to seek high compensation. KL Gujar, deputy director, Locust Warning Organization (LWO), Jodhpur, told HT that locust situation is now totally under controlled. “At present, presence of ‘swarm’ in bordering areas is very low. Our continuous operation has controlled the locust attacks and situation will be in fully controlled within next two-three days,” said Gujar, claiming that the farmers are presenting a wrong picture and their cries are for high compensation.
Local authorities in an advisory to farmers admit the presence of locust in various places such as Ramsar, Gudamalani, Gadara Road and Sheo. Kishorilal Verma, deputy director, agricultural department, Barmer, advised farmers to sprinkle Chlorpyrifos, a chemical used to control locust in desert areas, saying that it is less harmful to the crops than Malathion, which is used by the locust department. The department has also issued
KL GUJAR, deputy director, Locust Warning Organization, Jodhpur
control room numbers on which f armers c an r eport l ocust attacks.
Meanwhile, revenue minister Harish Choudhary intervened in the matter. Choudhary wrote a letter to the secretary at agricultural and union agricultural ministry to contain the locust problem. He also directed the Barmer district collector to ensure adequate relief to the farmers.
In the letter written to the agricultural secretary, Choudhary stated that locust attack started from Jaisalmer district and has taken entire Barmer district in its grip.
“While crossing bordering Gadara Road belt, it (locust a t t a c k) has now moved t o Bakhasar belt, which adjoins the Gujarat border,” he wrote.
Choudhary also wrote that locust had earlier damaged kharif crop and now it is causing damaged to rabi crops. “If immediate action will not be taken, it will cause huge damage to the rabi crops,” he wrote.
It may be mentioned here that a major l ocust at t ack was reported in Jaisalmer on May 21 this year after a gap of 26 years.