Crops over 1.8 lakh hectares damaged by pests: SRC

Bhubaneswar: Crops over 1,78,937 hectares of agricultural land in 20 blocks, 19 urban local bodies of nine districts have been affected due to pest attack in the state, revealed Special Relief Commissioner (SRC)
report on crop loss on Sunday.

According to the report, standing crops in 8,211 villages of 92 blocks and 19 urban local bodies in Bargarh, Sambalpur, Nuapada, Ganjam, Balangir, Kalahandi, Sonepur, Bhadrak and Koraput districts have affected. There has been 33 to 50 per cent loss in about 1,12, 000 hectares of land while 20 blocks in Ganjam district were worst-hit.

Besides, a total of 14 blocks in Balangir and Koraput, 12 in Kalahandi and 11 in Bargarh districts have also been affected by pests, the report added.

Meanwhile, Development Commissioner R. Balakrishnan, during a review meeting on instances of crops being set afire and farmer suicides, asked the district collectors to conduct awareness campaigns to check such incidents.

Following the meeting, Balakrishnan said the affected farmers will be compensated as per relief code.