Most of the farmers here are found spraying pesticides in the midday to kill the fall armyworms which are damaging their maize plants.
Even after repeated spraying, the insects have not stopped destroying the maize plant.
A farmer, Gopal Ghimire, who is also the ward chairman of Lalbandi Municipality-9, Bastipur, said, “The fall armyworms have damaged the plant this year. No matter how much pesticide is sprayed, the insects have not stopped damaging the maize plants.”
Ghimire informed that most of the maize plants in their areas were destroyed by insects. Farmers here are using pesticides in the hope of controlling the damages, he said.
Outbreaks of the insects are high in the areas where the farmers have to depend on rains to grow maize.
The farmers said that the insects had damaged maize crops in Lalbandi, Parwanipur, Kalinjor, Pattharkot, Narayankhola, Bayalwas, and other areas in the district.
Tirtha Lama, a farmer of Lalbandi Municipality-13, Pattharkot, complained that both hard work and investment were wasted as the insects had completely damaged his crops.
He said that the fall armyworms have been destroying every crop in their locality for the past two years.
Last year also, crops including maize, paddy, and millet were damaged by the insects. Farmers said that the insects caused more damage in the night. The farmers have complained that it was difficult for them to make a living as the insects have destroyed every crop they grow.
Source : THE RISING NEPAL,
