BHUBANESWAR: As two more farmers committed suicide due to crop loss in pest attack on Sunday taking the number to nine, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has convened a meeting of the Agriculture Cabinet on Monday to take stock of the situation and announce compensation for the affected farmers. The two farmers who committed suicide belonged to Bargarh district where the pest attack has been severe.
Besides assessing the crop loss due to pest attack, the Agriculture Cabinet is also expected to discuss long-term measures needed to be taken to ensure that such a situation does not take place in future. Reports of district Collectors on pest attack and suicide of farmers are also likely to be discussed at the meeting.
As the supply of sub-standard pesticides is said to be one of the reasons for which the pest attack could not be controlled, the issue is also likely to be discussed. Collectors of eight districts affected by the menace have already submitted their reports to the Government basing on which the Cabinet is likely to decide on the next course of action.
Meanwhile, crops in nearly 1,78,932 hectares of agricultural land have been affected by pest attack in nine districts.
As per the office of the Special Relief Commissioner, crops in 8,211 villages of 92 blocks and 19 urban local bodies in Bargarh, Sambalpur, Nuapada, Sonepur, Balangir, Ganjam, Kalahandi, Koraput and Bhadrak districts have been damaged in the pest attack.
There has been 33 to 50 percent crop loss in nearly 1,12,000 hectares of land while 20 blocks in Ganjam district are the worst affected. Besides, 14 blocks in Balangir and Koraput, 12 in Kalahandi and 11 in Bargarh have also been affected.
Meanwhile, statement of Agriculture Minister Damodar Rout on Saturday that farmers who burnt their paddy fields will not be eligible for any compensation drew flak from opposition political parties as well as the daughter of Brundaban Sahu, a farmer of Kalapani in Bargarh district who set on fire his damaged crop and committed suicide next day.
After Sahu, many farmers in nine affected districts burnt their crop fed up with the damaged caused by pests.
