Pests and diseases have affected paddy crop in the irrigated pockets of Indravati during the last fortnight, causing anxiety among farmers of Kalahandi district. The plants are in the flowering stage.
According to the Agriculture Department assessment, pests like BPH, Gandhi bug, Case worm and diseases like Sheath blight and Blast have affected 9,000 hectares and 2,838 hectares respectively. The worst affected areas are under Junagarh, Kalampur, Jaipatna and Dharamgarh blocks.
District Plant Protection Officer Ashok Kumar Amath said ` 50 lakh worth of pesticides have been provided to farmers of the blocks at 50 per cent subsidy.
The affected farmers, however, alleged that the measures taken by Agriculture Department have been too late and too little.