Reckless use of pesticides led to high incidence of diseases, say farmers

Yellow blades of paddy grass bereft of tillers glisten against the scorching noon sun. For the farmers of Vada Kadalangudi in Orkudi panchayat, the 80-100 day pesticide-infested paddy crop will not make up even for good fodder.

Vast stretches of directly-sowed fields of Keezhvelur block here, lie wilted under mealy bug attack.

The story stretches across fields , irrigated by the Vennar , which witnessed mass direct sowing owing to water shortage in the Vennar division of Cauvery.

The Rs.20,000 per acre expenditure incurred on direct sowing of paddy and on pesticides has landed Ramamoorthy and Santhanam, farmers with 10 acres each, in debt. Poor quality seeds and reckless use of chemical pesticides were the reasons behind high incidence of diseases, the farmers rued.

Absence of technical intervention for sustainable agriculture by agricultural agencies added to their burden. The fields, as suggested by the Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK), Sikkal, were experimented with one pesticide after the other, said Ramamoorthy, holding out empty cans of fungicides, pesticides, and weedicides. “We cannot even afford to hire labour to harvest the wilted crops and cattle won’t feed on them,” he said.

According to Kaveri Danapalan, general secretary, Cauvery Delta Farmers Protection Association, chemicals were forced down the farmers, and today the soil has lost its fertility and crops their resistance.

His 120 acres of directly-sowed fields in Keezhvelur cultivated solely on organic inputs have survived, except for marginal infection from neighbouring fields. “The seed subsidy is given in the form of chemicals inputs, leaving farmers with little option.”

“There is no accreditation of seeds and certification is random. We had always demanded proper field study based on pilot use of fertilizers. But the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU), KVKs, and the department have not been proactive,” Mr. Danapalan said.

When contacted, an agriculture department official said: “pesticides and weedicides are indented at the top and are being supplied under various schemes. Mealy bug attack is also caused by adverse weather conditions.”

According to S. Ranganathan, secretary, Cauvery Delta Farmers Welfare Association, Bapatla or the BPT variety went out of procurement by government agencies last year, because they were commercially procured in mass scale by the traders.

The seeds that were procured by the department agencies largely came from dealers from Dharapuram and other areas, and were contaminated. “Today, the farmers whose fields were diseased should be fully compensated for their loss.”

There is a huge shortage of staff in the agriculture department.

“There are over 400 assistant directors each in agriculture and horticulture departments. However, while 60 lakh acres was covered by agriculture, only 9 lakh acres was under horticulture. This asymmetrical staff strength should be addressed to deal with the field realities of farmers,” said Mr. Ranganathan.