Maharashtra : Wheat pesticide damages onion crops on 100 acres
A wheat-specific pesticide damaged onion crops on over 100 acres in Nashik, affecting 46 farmers. Fertilizer outlets allegedly recommended its use on onions. Agriculture Minister Manikrao Kokate ordered damage assessment and lab tests, with results expected soon. Farmers demand ₹1.5 lakh per acre in compensation. The pesticide company is urged to compensate affected farmers for their losses.
Nashik: A particular kind of pesticide, meant just for wheat, has damaged onion crops on over 100 acres in some villages of Nashik’s Deola and Kalwan taluka. State agriculture minister Manikrao Kokate visited the fields and met the affected farmers in Deola on Sunday night. Speaking to reporters on Monday, Kokate said he had instructed the agriculture department officials to assess the losses and check the pesticide samples in govt labs.The farmers were reportedly told by the personnel at the fertilizer outlets to use this particular pesticide on onions because the ingredients used in onion pesticides are the same. Kokate said fertiliser outlets usually sell pesticides as per instructions from the companies concerned.”We will take action against the seeds and fertiliser outlets concerned if it is found that they suggested the pesticide on their own. We have not found any involvement of the agricultural officials, but action will be taken against those who are found guilty in this connection,” said Kokate.
Kokate said the stock of the specific pesticide with the seeds and fertiliser outlets was seized by the agriculture department. Samples would be sent to various govt labs for testing. “We expect the lab reports within the next two to three days. We also approached the fertilizer company concerned, which said the pesticide was only for wheat crops.””We have also told the company to compensate the farmers whose onion crops were damaged after spraying the pesticide of that company.”According to agriculture officials, a committee, including sub-divisional officer and taluka agricultural officer, has been set up to investigate the issue. The agriculture officials said it is difficult to assess right now the extent of crop loss. The losses will be ascertained only after the assessment of the damaged onion crops.Meanwhile, a delegation of farmers, led by Bharat Dighole, the president of Maharashtra Onion Growers’ Association, met Kokate in the city on Monday, demanding a compensation of Rs 1.5 lakh per acre to the onion farmers whose crops were damaged due to spraying of the pesticide.”Crops of some of the farmers in Deola, Kalwan, Bagalan and Sinnar talukas have been damaged due to use of a specific pesticide. It has caused financial losses,” said Dighole. Dighole added that most farmers use the pesticides as per the recommendations by the fertilizers outlets. Bapu Aher, onion farmer from Meshi village in Deola, said “I had cultivated summer onions on seven acres, but the entire crop dried up after spraying the pesticide that was recommended by the personnel of the fertilizer outlet. I had spent around Rs 1 lakh per acre, but the crop is completely damaged.”Umesh Suryavanshi, another farmer from Meshi, said that onion crops on around 100 acres, grown by 46 farmers, have been damaged.
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Source : The Times Of India
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