The Hindu : Front Page : Pest attack unnerves Tirunelveli farmers

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Tuesday, Jul 01, 2008
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Pest attack unnerves Tirunelveli farmers

P. Sudhakar

— Photo: A. Shaikmohideen

MYSTRY DISEASE: Farmers showing affected crops.

TIRUNELVELI: Farmers, who have raised cotton, vegetables and sunflower crops on over 600 acres in and around Tirunelveli and Palayamkottai, are on the verge of facing a huge loss due to pest attack, pesticides providing little help.

Since most of the areas such as Gangaikondan, Anaithalaiyoor, Paruththikulam, Maanur do not have better irrigation facility to cultivate paddy during ‘kar’ season, farmers had gone for cotton, oilseeds, vegetables and greens.

On seeing cotton-like white liquid secreting from the affected stem of cotton, the farmers sprayed endosulfan, carbofuran and other regular pesticides, which failed to control the disease.

As a last resort, they sprayed kerosene to no avail. The rapidly spreading pest has not spared even the ornamental plants being grown in houses.

“I cultivated Srivilliputtur-2 cotton variety on three-and-a-half acres, which after 30 days. I used a range of pesticides to control the mysterious disease, but in vain. The disease spreads rapidly and hence experts with the Department of Horticulture should come to our rescue,” said S. Krishnammal of Anaithalaiyoor.

Each farmer has spent over Rs. 15,000 an acre for cultivating cotton or sunflower and are wasting huge sums of money on pesticides. “Even as farmers were expecting a profit of Rs. 10,000 an acre, the mysterious disease, which has caused heavy damage to the crop, has spread panic among growers, who have borrowed money from moneylenders. If the government fails to bail out the affected farmers, they will be forced to put on sale a portion of their land to the realtors to repay the loan,” said K. Murugesan of Gangaikondan.

Some farmers said that similar kind of pest attack was witnessed in June last year also and no official assistance was extended to affected farmers.

Carrying the affected plants, a group of farmers from Anaithalaiyoor submitted a petition to Collector (in-charge) G. Srinivasan, who asked officials to visit the affected areas and prescribe remedial measure.

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