VIJAYAWADA: The farmers who have sown black gram in the Krishna delta region are in distress as a hitherto unknown pest is eating away their crop. Preliminary estimates have put the loss at 50%.
In AP, black gram is mostly grown in Krishna district. Out of the 8.8 lakh acreage of the crop, it is sown in 3.6 lakh acres in Krishna district during Rabi, accounting for 40% of the crop area.
"Almost all of the crop I had sown in November got destroyed. We have no clue what the pest is, but it is sucking the life out of the crop. The problem is persisting despite spraying pesticides and fungicides. I have cleared my field completely and am going for a second crop," said K Prasad from Pedaparupudi village.
Former member of the Indian Council of Agriculture Research, M V S Nagi Reddy, said that extended sunlight hours and temperature variation may have resulted in the menace. "Usually, yellow mosaic disease affects the crops. But this pest is a new kind. No one knows how to get rid of it. The agriculture department too does not seem to be bothered," he said. While the crop sown in November and early December have been lost, those sown in mid-December and early January seem pest-free at the moment.
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