Pest attack on sugarcane fields a worrying concern for farmers

CHANDPUR, June 15: Harmful insects known as 'majra' have attacked the sugarcane fields in different areas of Chandpur sadar and Faridganj upazilas (UZs) in the past several weeks.
The sugarcane growers are very much worried as they see bleak prospects of their crops let alone good yield of sugarcane in April next year when the plants will become mature.
In the same sugarcane fields, various kinds of seasonal vegetables, potatoes etc. are also grown as mixed crops.
In the past few weeks, majra pests have attacked the sugarcane fields, said affected farmers.
Sources at the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), Chandpur said, agriculture officials are giving advices and guidelines to the affected farmers as to how to lessen or stop harming their fields by pests.
According to the local DAE office, a total of 677 hectares of land have been brought into sugarcane cultivation against the target of 635 hectares in the district in the current season.
The expected sugarcane yield in the district this season is 39,060 tonnes. But due to the pest attack, the sugarcane production target is unlikely to be achieved- it is apprehended by all.
Day by day, sugarcane cultivation is becoming popular among the farmers and its areas of cultivation is increasing too in different upazilas of the district.
Chandpur Sadar, Faridganj and Haimchar upazilas are the major sugarcane producing areas in the district.
While visiting different areas recently in Bagadi, Eacholy, Balia, Moishadi, Shahtoli, and a few villages under Chandpur Sadar and Balithuba, Modonergaon, Lohagor villages in Faridganj Upazilas, this correspondent observed that pests attacked several sugarcane fields and the growers have lost hope of getting a good return from cultivating the crop.
The farmers said they started growing sugarcane just after harvesting IRRI-Boro paddy and vegetables from fields where sugarcane was mostly cultivated in Modonergaon, Lohagor, Balithuba and the adjacent villages of Faridganj upazila.
Kalandar Khan (50), Samad Patwary (51) and a few other farmers of Modonergaon village told the FE that most farmers of the village have cultivated sugarcane.
As per advice of the agriculture officials, they applied pesticides to drive away harmful insects called 'majra poka' from their fields but to no effect.
These insects are black and white in colour. They eat up the sheaves and bodies of sugarcane plants from top to bottom and so many leaves are getting dry and the plants are dying soon.
Jahangir Miji,(40), a farmer of Shekhdi village in Bagadi union under Chandpur Sadar, also ventilated the same problems due to pest attacks.
While talking to the FE, agriculture officials Saiful Hasan and Mobarak Hossain said that they came to know about the pest attacks. Insects called 'majra poka' have caused wide-spread attack on sugarcane fields in different areas.
The field officials of the agriculture dept have been directed to stand by the affected farmers and give them proper advice and guidelines to solve the problem, they said.
But the affected farmers have alleged that they are not getting any proper advice nor co-operation from the agriculture officials concerned in this regard.
The two above-mentioned agriculture officials have, however, denied the allegation.

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