Pest infestation has caused substantial damage to jhum cultivation of paddy at Dambuk area of Lower Dibang Valley district in Arunachal Pradesh.
The farmers of Dambuk have appealed to the state agricultural department to help them cope with the problem of pest infestation, which if left unaddressed may cause a famine like situation in Lower Dibang Valley.
In a letter to the agricultural development officer, Poblung-A village gram panchayat member Katem Pertin has said that nearby 60 per cent of the jhum cultivation have been damaged by the pest infestation.
“Last year our wetland rice cultivation was completely damaged by an unknown insect. Now the same insect is damaging our Jhum rice cultivation (locally called Amo Aam),” Katem Pertin said.
Also read: GI tag for indigenous crops: Arunachal seeks assistance from Assam Agricultural University
“60 per cent of the crops have already been damaged and now the agriculture department should intervene to save the remaining crops or else a famine-like condition will arise”, said Pertin.
Meanwhile, Dambuk ADO Anni Lego confirmed the pest infestation of dry rice.
“After receiving complaints about pest infestation, I visited the fields and found the pest to be White Backed Plant Hopper, the same pest which had infested the wetland rice last year,” Anni Lego said.
“The farmers were advised to spray either Imidacloprid or Monocrotophos or Dichlorvos with 1-2ml per litre water to control the pest,” she said.
Since the crop is at its early stage farmers have been advised to contact the agriculture department for proper advice and solution if there is more infestation.