BHUBANESWAR: The raging pest attacks over vast tracts of farmlands across Odisha has raised a serious poser over the effectiveness of e-pest surveillance system of the State Government. Under Rashtriya Krishi Vikash Yojana (RKVY), Agriculture Department took up the e-pest surveillance and pest management programme for which it submitted a Rs 2.48 crore proposal in June.
Why was it that the Department failed to detect the massive infestation of pests in many parts of the State, mostly in Western districts like Bargarh? It has no answer even as paddy crops over thousands of hectares have virtually been laid to waste. As per operational guidelines, each farmer friend collects pest incidence data from the gram panchayat he or she is assigned. Each of them is mandated to cover two villages a day for four days a week for regular collection of data. Every Tuesday/ Wednesday, the data is handed over to the Assistant Agriculture Officer (AAO) of the block. The AAO monitors the pest situation and uploads the data on e-pest surveillance page of the department. Similarly, the plant protection officers and AAOs monitor the pest situation through roving pest surveillance in areas under their jurisdiction to confirm the online data. For all these exercises, a hand holding support is paid.
Interestingly, the district agriculture officer is supposed to monitor the work while district nodal officer ensures regular feeding of the data. It is through these reports which are generated on a weekly basis that pest infestation situation is intimated to Director of Agriculture and Food Production. For surveillance, pest management kits are provided while monitoring devices such as traps and lure are also used. It is astonishing how despite such detailed guidelines, the Department had no clue of pest attacks which took serious proportions this year. As per latest data, over 1.78 lakh hectare paddy fields have been affected by pest attacks with Bargarh bearing the brunt. For the district, an allocation of `8.79 lakh was indicated under the programme which is an annual affair. A senior officer admitted, on condition of anonymity, the Agriculture Department failed to read the writings on the wall despite an elaborate structure being in place for pest collection reporting.
“Every year, the Brown Plant Hopper (BPH) attack takes place and is tackled. This year, around Diwali, a depression induced rainfall in coastal pockets while weather in western pockets remained cloudy. It created a micro climate that was conducive for BPH infestation. The farmers had no clue, let alone the ground staff who carry out the surveillance,” the officer said. What is tragic, this year, paddy crops have been exceptional in all the areas which have reported pest attack. The rise in temperature and humidity led to fast multiplication of the BPH. One can only notice the infestation by surveying the base of the plants. By the time the farmers came to know, the growth of pests was profuse. Increased application of the pesticides on the top surface did not work. With the Agriculture Department clueless about the pest attacks, the farmers lost their labour of love.