Nagpur: A young farmer, Mangesh Sonawane, of Nimboli village in Dhamangaon Rly tehsil of Amravati district on Sunday destroyed a standing crop of cotton he had grown on three acres of land. “ I had to hire a tractor and flatten the crop. It was fully infested with pink bollworm. Trying to save it would have multiplied my expenses,” he said.
Reports of pink bollworm striking it early this time had been pouring in from across the cotton belt of Amravati division. But Sonawane is the first farmer who lost his patience and destroyed the crop as there was no hope of salvaging it.
“I spent Rs 40,000 on sowing, two rounds of fertilisers, spraying and weeding operations so far. Had the crop been even moderately good, I would have made an income of Rs 2 lakh. Now I have nothing but debts to settle,” he told TOI on Monday. He said advisories from agriculture department reached him late and the worm attack was rampant and quick this time.
Last year, the bugs attacked in November- December, around 100th day of the crop cycle. This time it started from 45 days onwards at the first flowering. “Last year we could get some cotton from the first round of flowering. This time I could see the worms in almost every plant. Practically 80% of the over a foot-high crop was infested,” said Sonawane justifying his action.
With banks refusing him crop loan because of old dues, he borrowed from private micro-finance company. “Now I have to repay them with steep interest they charge,” said the farmer. He now plans to wait for a month after the field is done up again and then try to sow chana (gram) crop.
Shrikant Deshpande, a resourceful farmer from nearby Mangrul Dastgir village in same tehsil, said the situation was similar all over the cotton growing area. “I had anticipated this and decided not to grow cotton as the genetically modified BG -II that most of us sow is no longer resistant to bollworm. Instead, I have sown soyabean, tur and turmeric,” said Deshpande. “I can see the plight of cotton growers, I am afraid the distress in coming days will be unprecedented. I will not be shocked if farm suicides go up three times,” he said.
Subhash Nagare, joint divisional director of agriculture of Amravati , however, denied reports of widespread bollworm attack. “We had a strategy ready in consultation with experts from CICR (cotton research institute), PDKV and reached out to every gram sabha. I am sure those who followed instructions, would have no problem. But its a free country, one is free to take own decisions,” Nagare remarked when told about Sonawane case.
Kishore Tiwari, chairman of task force for 14 distressed districts, said situation was much worse than last year in Yavatmal and other cotton growing areas. “Farmers are spending like mad on costly sprays to check bollworm. But its all in vain,” he lamented, warning of grim times ahead for cotton growers.
Source: The Times Of India, India Tuesday, 14 August 2018