Pests destroy Surkha guavas, farmers allege govt apathy
PRAYAGRAJ: The Allahabadi Surkha variety of guavas, known for its deep pulp and red skin, is not in the pink this year. A pest attack has taken a bite out of the fruit.
Farmers in Uttar Pradesh, where the variety is grown over nearly 4,000 hectares in Prayagraj and Kaushambi districts, say the common fruit fly attack this year has added to their woes even as decades of official neglect has left them to manage the sale of their produce on their own. They claim that around 40% of their total produce this year has been destroyed and that the government has left them to fend for themselves.
According to Munnu Patel of Bakhrahabad village in Doaba (between Ganga and Yamuna) region of Prayagraj, fruit fly had damaged nearly half of his crop. “I saw my crop getting destroyed with each passing day but could do anything. I approached the local agriculture department officials but they expressed their helplessness as no insecticide was available...,” he said.
“Last year too, a fungal infection hit the guava crop. But it did not cause loss to such an extent,” said another farmer, Anand Patel of Pura Pajawa village.
Prayagraj’s district horticulture officer (DHO), Pratibha Pandey, denied any official apathy and added that the pest attack in some parts of the district was likely to have damaged only 12 to 15% of the produce. “When guavas generate a musky smell in early stages, they draw fruit flies which lay eggs near stems of the fruit trees... maggots feed on them. This makes the fruit rot and the infection spreads fast. This can be checked by spraying insecticide on the trees to curb further damage.”
Kaushambi DHO Surendra Ram Bhasker echoed Pandey and added that any crop is prone to insect attack every year. He added spraying insecticide during the early stages of fruiting is necessary.
Madan Sen Singh, a scientist at Prayagraj’s Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture Technology and Sciences, said that guava trees flower during the monsoon and the fruit ripens in November and December. “The fruit fly attacks the fruits in the early stages and the spread of the disease can be controlled by spraying insecticide.” According to him, the exact extent of loss could be ascertained after a comprehensive survey. The reports point to a substantial loss of Surkha crop due to fruit fly infestation, he added.
Belai, who goes by one name, a guava farmer in Kaushambi, said that the farmers are unable to get a better price for their produce in the absence of any government help. ” No government scheme is available... In bulk, we sell the produce for ₹18 to ₹20 per kg but it is sold in the market for nearly double the price.”
According to Vijay Kishore Singh, technical assistant at Horticulture Research and Training Center, Khusrubagh, farmers have been selling the crop on their own and no support is being extended by the government. “If the government could provide grading and packaging facility to farmers, they would certainly be benefitted,” he said.
Pandey said, “Under the National Horticulture Mission, of the total cost of ₹4 lakh required for setting up a pack house, ₹2 lakh subsidy is given. Of the total cost of ₹2 lakh required for setting up a poly house for crop storage for a short span, ₹1 lakh is given by the government.”