SAMBALPUR: In the wake of pest attack on crops, Sambalpur Collector Samarth Verma submitted report to the State Government on Friday night. Brown Plant Hopper (BPH) pest attack had been reported over 28,227.22 hectares in the district. Besides, crop loss over 5346.19 hectares due to scanty rainfall had also been reported.
Sources said the crop loss would affect the production of paddy in the district, which had set a target of cultivating the crop over 1,06,800 hectares. “While crop loss over 12,286.80 hectares has been estimated between 33 and 50 per cent in the rain-fed area, crop loss over 8,805.02 hectares has been reported in the irrigated areas,” sources said.
Even as there are allegations of spurious pesticide, the Insecticide Testing Laboratory for quality testing of the pesticides in the district awaits operation. Though the infrastructure was made ready and the required equipment had been procured around six months back, the laboratory had not installed the tools, forcing authorities to fall back on the laboratory in Bhubaneswar to check the quality of pesticide.
Despite the fact that two staffers had been trained at Hyderabad, in the absence of the required staffers, comprising Insecticide Analyst, Technician, Senior Scientists and Laboratory Assistant, the operation of the facility seems to be a distant dream. Once operational, the centre will cater to 10 districts of western Odisha.