In a context where farmers depend wholly on agriculture for their family’s food and their livelihood, and organic or indigenous alternatives to pesticides are few and far between, KL reporters cover the wiping out of crucial rabi crops this winter…
Chitrakoot. Mustard and chana crops this year have been destroyed by the Jorai pest. The agriculture department has made no pesticide available to deal with this.
Pavan, a farmer in Taronha hamlet of Karwi Block says his livelihood is based on the mustard and chana crops that grow in this season, but this year, the rabi crops have been attacked by pests.
Nathu, Marachanda and Surajpal from Dudhvaniya village of Manikpur block say that they have sown chana and mustard on 10 bighas of land. They took loans to buy seeds and manure, but the crop has failed. When they went to the grain and manure store in Manikpur to get pesticide, it was not available.
Jagol, Vasudevi, Suman and Lakhan of Turgava village in Mau block said that they pay to go to the Agriculture department, wait there all day to get pesticide, but return empty-handed each time. The Deputy Director of Agriculture in Chitrakoot, Jagdish Narayan said that there is an Agriculture Support Centre (Krishi Raksha Kendra) in each of Chitrakoot’s five blocks, where pesticides are available. Whoever has not been able to get pesticide should submit a written complaint.
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