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Papaya cultivation faces threat from 'Mealy Bug' pest in Tamil Nadu | Papaya cultivation in Tamil Nadu is faced with a serious threat from a new kind of pest called 'Mealy Bug' which has invaded the crop. In India, Papaya is cultivated in 8000 hectares of area whereas in Tamil Nadu alone Papaya
is cultivated in about 3000 hectares area. The farmers have suffered losses due
to the sudden outbreak of the pest, which has a high resistance to pesticides
due to their waxy body surface. The pest from Mexico spreads fast across fruits
and crops. It is small in size and lay around 1500 eggs in one season. "When we
approached the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University for the solution of the problem,
they suggested some pesticides which does not prove to be effective. The situation
is a fix, as what do we do? We have grown this cultivation on more than 2 acre
of land, and 50,000 rupees have been spent per acre. And in spite of that we have
suffered huge loses. We are fully dependent only on this and now find it very
difficult to even sustain our living," said Krishnaswamy, a worried farmer. Papaya
production has already been affected a lot compared to the previous year's production
and export. "Farmers if see the insects on their crop, they immediately go for
an insecticide or for the combination products. If one insecticide works well
the first time then they give the repeated application of the insecticide, which
is not correct, " said Jonathan, Director, Centre For Plant Production Studies,
Tamil Nadu Agricultural University. Farmers fear that if similar situation continues
for long it will destroy the entire Papaya crop affecting the livelihood of farmers. |
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