Pest attack on paddy cultivation

Jamugurihat: At a time when the rice crop should be growing at full speed, large areas in the state’s Sonitpur district have been infested by pests.

A large number of insects have attacked the fields in Bapunipam area of Jamugurihat city. These fields are now covered with greenery as local farmers have cultivated rice in this season. Due to the attack of insects, the paddy crops where the grains had just started ripening are now getting destroyed due to the insects.

This outbreak of insects has given local farmers sleepless nights and they are worried about their crops. These pests have damaged 100 bighas of agricultural land on the banks of Jia Bhorali river. The affected farmers have demanded the Agriculture Department to take necessary steps to protect the remaining crops.

Farmers in East Siang district in Arunachal Pradesh are facing tough times as their paddy fields are under attack by serious diseases, district officials said. Farmers are in touch with experts regarding disease management in paddy crop through M4Agri and Umang app. These apps are part of the Eric Abic Lunom mobile-based advisory services in Arunachal, which is being implemented by the Pasighat-based College of Horticulture and Forestry in collaboration with Digital India Corporation of the Union Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. So far, 6,004 farmers are registered under the Eric Abic Lunom mobile-based advisory service project.

Rice is one of the most important food crops in the north-eastern state and its production in the state is reported at 245 tonnes. It is grown as a rain-fed crop in the state. Nursery sowing is done in the month of May and transplantation is done in the month of June-July. Officials said advisories have been issued to paddy farmers for management of rice, including symptoms of various diseases and management methods.