November 19, 2018
Bangla Govt’s helping hand for farmers affected by wheat blast
To help the wheat blast-affected farmers overcome their losses, the State Agriculture Department has distributed seeds of other crops among them free of cost. Primarily, seeds of pulses and mustard have been distributed. The affected farmers would now be able to carry on with their livelihoods.
The districts of Nadia and Murshidabad are the ones most affected by the wheat blast disease, which occurred in 2017, with around 1,000 hectares of wheat-growing areas getting destroyed. To a lesser extent, the disease has also affected five other districts, including Malda and North 24 Parganas.
To check the spread of the fungal infection, cultivation of wheat has been stopped in the affected areas for the next two years. The State Government has distributed the seeds in all the areas affected by wheat blast.
The State Agriculture Minister has said that the target was not only to distribute seeds among farmers but to do so on time so that they can be sowed at the right time. According to him, the department has been able to achieve both the targets. He will be holding a meeting on November 12 in this connection.
As a follow-up measure, the government has also set up 200 pulse processing mills in Nadia and Murshidabad so that farmers did not have to worry to get their crops processed elsewhere.
The State Government has also taken the initiative to distribute whole wheat flour (atta) in the two districts as there has was no cultivation of wheat due to the disease.
Source: Millennium Post
