Mungantiwar seeks CM's help as stem borer and blight hit Chandrapur paddy; Fadnavis orders action

Paddy farmers in Chandrapur district face a deepening threat to their standing crop from stem borer and blight. Over the issue, MLA Sudhir Mungantiwar met Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis at his Varsha official residence in Mumbai and placed the farmers' serious problem before the government. The Chief Minister took immediate note of the demand and directed the principal secretary of the agriculture department to take the necessary action.

Stem borer and blight are increasingly affecting kharif paddy in several parts of the district. With the trouble striking mid-season, the yield is feared to suffer. Farmers fear that the crop raised at great cost and effort will slip out of their hands. Effective measures are therefore needed before the disease and the pest spread.

The memorandum Mungantiwar submitted to the Chief Minister seeks a direct, village-by-village inspection of paddy affected by stem borer and blight and immediate panchnamas (official damage assessments). He said the area of loss should be determined on the basis of the panchnamas, and eligible farmers should be given financial assistance under the government's existing norms.

The memorandum also demands that the government not stop at panchnamas. To prevent further loss, it says the agriculture department should provide farmers free of cost the insecticide needed to control stem borer and the fungicide needed for blight. It also asks that agriculture department teams visit villages and go directly to the fields to inspect the crop. The memorandum says these teams should give farmers technical guidance on the correct use of the chemicals, spraying quantities and preventive measures.

Presenting his case to the Chief Minister, Mungantiwar said it is more important for the government to step in at the start of the crisis and save the crop than to give help after the paddy yield has fallen. He expressed hope that the administration would act on a war footing to save the farmers' hard-earned harvest.

Chief Minister Fadnavis took immediate note of the matter and directed the agriculture department's principal secretary to take the necessary action. This has given the Chandrapur paddy farmers' cause momentum at the government level. It is now hoped that the affected farmers will get relief.