TANAHUN, Sept 4: An outbreak of armyworm has destroyed corn crops in Byas Municipality-13. The farmers are worried over the attack by the armyworm just when the corn plant has started to bear fruit.
Meghnath Acharya, a local farmer, said that the corn crop planted in an area of about 10 ropani of land has been destroyed by the pests. "This is the third consecutive year that the corn plantation has been destroyed by armyworm," he said.
After maize, armyworm destroys paddy and millet
The farmers had hoped for a good price for the maize grown as a winter crop. Pesticides had been used several times for the prevention of such pests but it has not worked to address the problem. As a result, the farmers in the region are planning to give up corn farming and start planting green fodder instead.
This apart, armyworms have also damaged millet crops. After the corn and millet crops were destroyed by pests, farmers complained that they did not get any help from the Agricultural Knowledge Center.
Another local farmer, Til Kumari Acharya, said that she had to suffer losses due to the destruction of the corn crop by armyworm every year. “It is sad that farmers do not get help from any authority when they suffer losses,” he complained.
Ward President of Byas Municipality-13 Basant Bahadur said that farmers are facing problems due to lack of skilled technicians in Byas Municipality. Serious consideration is being made to resolve the problem on a long-term basis. For now, the ward is also taking initiative to provide relief to the farmers who have suffered losses due to the armyworm.
(RSS)
