Over 400 farmers of the district, who had pinned their hope on groundnut crop, are a disappointed lot. For, the crop has been damaged by pest attack in Badimal, Remta, Pithinda, Kandaikela and Kanaktura gram panchayats under Lakhanpur block.
Farmers of the block had taken up groundnut cultivation this year expecting to make more profit compared to paddy. They mostly sell the crop in neighbouring Chhattisgarh.
Due to the changing climate pattern, the crop has been damaged by insects as a result of which, farmers are getting just three to four groundnut seeds instead of 25 to 30 seeds from each plant. They are expecting to yield 10 to 20 per cent of the estimated crop.
Jagdish Pradhan, a farmer of Remta gram panchayat, said the crop could have been saved had the agriculture officials intervened at the right time.
Crop scientist SK Panda said farmers should now uproot and destroy the affected plants and remove the alternative host plants before going ahead with new groundnut crop.