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Centre to assess pest-hit sugarcane in Maharashtra

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI Feb. 11. A Central team will visit Maharashtra soon for assessment of the white woolly aphid pest attack on the sugarcane crop. The decision to send the team follows a meeting of the Crop Weather Watch Group of the Ministry of Agriculture, which discussed the pest infestation issue in detail, the first of its kind in Maharashtra, on Monday. The Special Secretary, Ashok Kumar Rastogi, presided over the discussions.

Mr. Rastogi indicated that the team's assessment would lead to an action plan for complete eradication of the pest from the sugarcane fields, appropriate plant protection measures over the next four to five years and steps to promote multiplication of natural predators for control of the pest. According to the scientific opinion presented to the Group, the aphid pest would remain in the sugarcane fields for the next three to four years.

Earlier, scientists informed the Group that excessive irrigation caused increased humidity in the crop environment, which was found to be conducive for the growth of the pest.

The Centre was told by the Maharashtra Government that the aphid attack was first noticed in Sangli district. It then spread to Kolhapur, Satara, Pune, Ahmednagar and Solapur districts. The pest infestation had been reported from over one lakh hectares in the State. There have also been reports of its spread to neighbouring Karnataka.

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