MANMA, JANUARY 29
Potatoes cultivated in Regil village in Khandachakra Municipality of Kalikot have been destroyed by late blight disease. The disease has destroyed potatoes cultivated by local farmers in about five bigha land.
Mansara Shahi, a local farmer, said that the farmers of the entire village planted potatoes but the disease had completely destroyed the potato crop. "In the past, we used to earn good income from potatoes," he said.
Mayor of the municipality Jasiprasad Pandey said that potatoes were destroyed due to late blight disease. The agriculture branch of the municipality carried out the monitoring and relief would be given to armers whose potatoes were destroyed.
Bhakti Prasad Pandey, chief of the agriculture branch of the municipality, said that some of the farms were completely destroyed even though some were not affected by the disease. "During our monitoring, it was found that chemical pesticides were used but without technical consultation, so we found that there was a problem with late blight disease," he said. The branch has started the procedures to control the disease.
A version of this article appears in the print on January 30, 2022, of The Himalayan Times.
