Paddy farmers suffer as pests attack crop, shift to commercial crops

Adilabad: Paddy farmers in old Adilabad district who suffered huge losses due to pest attack on their crops shifted to commercial crops like cotton and soya during kharif season.    

Many paddy farmers cultivated the fine paddy variety Telangana Sona Masuri promoted by the state government in Khanapur, Kadam and Nirmal areas. Paddy cultivation is less in Adilabad district and more in Mancherial and Nirmal districts where irrigation facility is available.

A farmer who suffered huge loss with pest attack on paddy in his 10-acre land at Kanakapur village in Mamada mandal burnt the paddy as he was disappointed with the loss.

Farmers wanted to prevent the pest from spreading to the neighbouring fields.

They cultivated the Telangana Sona Masuri variety paddy following Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao’s appeal but it suffered from pest attack and there was no yield. The farmers say the seed variety promoted by the state government was not pest-resistant.   

Many paddy farmers shifted to commercial crops like cotton and soya after incurring losses with the cultivation of a fine quality of rice under controlled agriculture method, though the state government announced MSP Rs 1,880 for grade-I and Rs 1,850 for grade-II quality paddy.

Sangepu Borranna, district president of Rythu Swarajya Vedika said many farmers had shifted to commercial crops in kharif 2021 as they suffered losses in paddy cultivation.