Pest attacks take toll on bajra, guar crops

Jaswinder Singh Baidwan

Akhran da mureed
Staff member
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The pest attacks, especially whitefly and leaf curl virus, have taken a heavy toll on bajra and guar crops in Haryana. While 2,08,275 hectares of the total sown area of 3,74,565 hectares (56 per cent) for the bajra crop fell prey to the pest attacks, 3,16,651 hectares out of the 3,64,915 hectares (87 per cent) for guar were also damaged.
However, about 59 per cent affected acreage of the bajra crop and 35 per cent of the damaged area of the guar crop would not be eligible for crop relief as the extent of damage has been pegged at less than 25 per cent which was not covered under the state government’s norms for crop compensation, sources said.
However, the farmers, whose crops had been damaged above 25 per cent would be compensated at varying rates. The Haryana Government had recently enhanced the crop compensation rates to Rs12,000 per acre for above 75 per cent damage, Rs9,500 for 50 per cent to 75 per cent damage and Rs7,000 if the damage was in the range of 25 per cent to 50 per cent.
The source said the pests had damaged bajra and guar crops in 14 districts, including Bhiwani, Hisar, Fatehabad, Sirsa, Jhajjar, Narnaoul, Palwal, Jind, Panipat, Gurgaon, Rewari, Mewat, Sonepat and Rohtak.
This season bajra was been sown in 3,74,565 hectares area in the state. Crop damage in 1,21,970 hectares has been estimated at up to 25 per cent. It has been estimated that 26 per cent to 50 per cent of the bajra crop sown in 53,795 hectares and 51 per cent to 75 per cent sown in 28,710 hectares had been damaged. Similarly, 76 to 100 per cent damage has been estimated in 3,800 hectares.
Similarly, guar had been sown in 3,64,915 hectares area in Haryana this year. The crop damage is pegged at up to 25 per cent in 1,09,528 hectares, 26 per cent to 50 per cent in 1,24,001 hectares , 51 per cent to 75 per cent in 53,375 hectares and 76 per cent to 100 per cent in 29,747 hectares.
Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar had recently announced a special girdawari in the areas affected by pest attacks (whitefly and leaf curl virus) to ascertain the damage to cotton, guar, bajra and other crops.
 
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