Bhubaneswar: Odisha Agriculture and Farmers’ Empowerment Minister Arun Sahoo today announced a set of preventive measures to be taken by farmers to save crops in the event of sighting of locusts in bordering States.
“In the event of locusts being sighted in our bordering States as a preventive measure we need to spray our crops with a solution of 5% neem seed extract in 200 lts water per acre in the afternoon,” informed Sahoo.
In lieu of this, farmers can also spray their crops with 300 ppm neem based pesticide available in the market by mixing one litre of it in 200 lts per acre in the afternoon as a preventive measure against locust attack, he added.
Further, in the event of locusts already attacking crops in the fields, farmers are advised to resort to beating of tin drums, beating with thorny branches and other methods to drive away locusts, the Minister said.
This apart, farmers are advised to spray crops affected by the pest with earlier mentioned neem-based solution or 400 ml of Propenphos 50 EC mixed with 200 lts of water per acre, he added.
“It is my request to all farmers, there is no reason to be scared. Our department and Agriculture University have issued advisories. Please follow these advisories and contain locust attack,” Sahoo stated.
The locusts are currently active in Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. Rajasthan is currently the worst-affected state, according to the Union Environment Ministry.
