Basmati crop on nearly 3,000 hectares has been affected by brown planthopper and blast disease. Ranbir Singh, a farmer from Amipur village, said, “Pusa-1121 and C-30 varieties on nearly eight hectares in my fields have been affected by the diseases. Nearly 70 per cent crop has lodged and the yield is four-five quintal per acre. A huge amount of money was spent on pesticides and other sprays to save the crop, but to no avail. Pesticide sellers say they don’t know why the medicines are ineffective. Besides, I also followed the suggestion of agriculture experts, but nothing happened. A large area of  the adjoining six to seven villages have also been affected. ”He said, “A team of agriculture experts and officials inspected my fields a few days ago. I have not received any further information since then. The crop is insured under the Pradhanmantri Fasal Bima Yojana and we request the officials to provide compensation to us at the earliest.” Another farmer said, “We are finding it difficult to clear the fields now. Getting the field clear in this situation is a costly affair and we are looking for other means to get the job done.” Agriculture experts said the attack of brown planthopper was contagious and it shifted to adjoining fields. It is a plant-sucking insect and it sucks the juice of the plant due to which the leaves turn yellow before turning brown. Dr JN Bhatia, professor, plant pathology at Krishi Vigyan Kendra, said, “The temperature is favourable for the diseases, but the major issue is that farmers are not aware of the usage of fertilisers and other chemicals. They don’t consult agriculture experts before using them and follow the suggestions of commission agents and fellow farmers, which is wrong. The excessive use of urea also caused the outbreak of the disease.” SS Yadav, Deputy Director, Agriculture, said, “According to the survey, nearly 3,000 hectares under the basmati and Pusa-1121 crop have been affected by the diseases in Ambala-I. No major loss has come to notice in other parts of the district. Crop cutting experiment is still on and the farmers who have got their crops insured will get the compensation for their losses.” Source - http://www.tribuneindia.com