Chart out ways to tackle pest attack on chilli crops in Telangana, AP: Comm ministry to experts

The Commerce Ministry's Spices Board on Wednesday held deliberations with scientists and experts to chalk out strategies to tackle pest attack on chilli crops in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, which has ''seriously'' affected the farmers.

The ministry said that severe 'Thrips' attack on chilli crops in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh has seriously affected the crop yield, and the chilli farmers are highly distressed and worried about the crop loss, which will add on to their financial burden.

In order to chalk out ways to address the issue caused by the invasive Thrips species, Chilli Task Force Committee chairman GVL Narasimha Rao, who is also a Member of Parliament, conducted a meeting with the scientist community and chilli crop experts. Rao has requested for a coherent approach to deal with such pests in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka and other states, wherever this risk is prevailing, it said.

''He emphasised to focus on developing advisories for farmers on good agricultural practices, and recommend low-cost / affordable materials like blue sticky trap, cultivation of short duration chilli varieties, so that farmers can manage and survive the pest attack till a firm strategy against the pest is jointly prepared by the line departments and institutions,'' it added. He also urged ICAR-IIHR to take the lead and analyse and screen for chilli varieties that are resistant to thrips attack from the affected plots in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana; and directed the IIHR entomologists to screen existing molecules which can be used against this pest.

''Rao asked IIHR and Spices Board to conduct joint training programmes to impart knowledge on good agricultural practices by emphasising on judicious use of pesticides, use of integrated pest management techniques, adoption of good hygienic practices in field to prevent as well as withstand the pest as well as disease attack,'' the statement added.

A farmer from Kandrika village in Guntur district Ch Bhima Rao said that the pest attack has severely damaged the crops and the government should come forward to help the farmers.

''Our crops are damaged by this pest attack. Normally by this time, we used to have 20 quintal chilli production per acre. But due to this attack, the yield has drastically reduced. Farmers have to invest a lot to deal with such pests. It is damaging our crops and we are facing huge losses,'' Bhima Rao said, when contacted about the matter.

Guntur is a major chilli growing district in India and it is also the biggest and largest chilli market in Asia.

Further, the ministry statement said that the major reasons cited for serious infestation by invasive thrips were identified as indiscriminate usage of pesticides, excessive application of Nitrogenous fertilisers, October-November rains, followed by hot and humid conditions.

The meeting was organised by the Spices Board and attended by scientists from the ICAR-Indian Institute of Horticultural Research (IIHR), Dr YSR Agriculture University, ICAR- National Bureau of Agricultural Insect Resources (NBAIR), Indian Cardamom Research Institute (ICRI); officials from the Directorate of Plant Protection, Quarantine and Storage (DPPQS); and state officials.

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