PERAMBALUR: Farmers in the district who took up maize cultivation after witnessing a "marginal" dip in the scale of fall armyworm attack on the crop last year are a disappointed lot as the invasive pest has struck produce in several villages again. They now seek compensation for crop damage.
While the district tops in maize cultivation in the State, it has been subject to fall armyworm attack for the past three years. Farmers, however, point out the intensity of the attack to have dipped in the last year. Buoyed by this, farmers took to cultivating maize over about 65,000 hectares since August-end this year. When farmers realised their crop coming under slight attack from fall armyworm, they resorted to pesticides to control the menace.
The district administration also instructed farmers in a few areas to spray them using drones. The situation subsequently came under control. The armyworms, however, have now targeted the cob of much of the crop cultivated in villages like Keelapuliyur, Thimmur, Nakkasalem, Maruvathur, Perali, Asur, Sitheli and Olaipadi, say farmers.
Mentioning the yield to have taken a hit as a consequence, farmers urge the authorities concerned to inspect the affected crop and release compensation. S Ragavan, a farmer from Perali said, "I planted maize over six acres by spending Rs 20,000 per acre. I sprayed the cultivation with pesticides once for pest attack. I then expected good yield but when the cob in the crop reached maturing stage, fall armyworms attacked it.
This has affected cultivation over three acres. I will now incur losses without any yield. It is not only with my field but those of several farmers have been hit." Considering how maize cultivation continues to incur losses for us, we are ready to switch to cultivating millets if the authorities purchase them immediately and pay a fair price, Ragavan said, pointing out that he has submitted a petition seeking compensation for the affected crops from the government.
Another farmer, T Elavarasan of Sitheli, said, "I planted maize on 14 acres, of which 1.5 acres have come under armyworm attack in the last four days. I brought agriculture officials and representatives of a private seed company and showed them my fields.
They, however, left saying the cultivation was not hit by armyworms and that there was nothing they can do about it. When contacted, Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Department (Perambalur) Joint Director S Karunanidhi said, "We inspected the maize fields at Veppur and Veppanthattai. They have come under slight pest attack; the yield will not be affected though. The government is hence unlikely to provide compensation for it.”