Brown planthopper, known locally as "current" insect, and neck blast have struck paddy fields in Puthia upazila of Rajshahi, leaving farmers distraught. They accuse agriculture officials of negligence in controlling the pest. Agriculture officials, however, say there has been no planthopper attack.

According to the upazila agriculture office, paddy has been grown on 7,980 hectares in Puthia this aman season, mostly of the 75, 87 and 94 varieties.

Enquiries found that planthopper and neck blast have appeared on about 300 bighas of land in the Nalpukuria field of Bhalukgachhi union and neighbouring areas. Farmers are at a loss: the paddy has been damaged even after they sprayed insecticides from various companies, and panic has spread. Unless action is taken quickly, farmers will face losses.

On a visit to the fields, every panicle looked intact, but none of the husks held a grain of rice. There were black and white marks at the base of the panicles. In effect, each bunch carried only chaff, not paddy.

Hemayet, a farmer of Bhalukgachhi union, said there was a severe planthopper attack in the field, but the sub-assistant agriculture officer in charge was never seen. "We don't even know him," he said.

Takbir Hasan, chairman of Bhalukgachhi union parishad, told Jago News that an agriculture officer named Shahinur had newly arrived, and before he could settle into the area some damage had been done by the planthopper attack. "I think senior officials need to pay attention," he said.

The sub-assistant agriculture officer on duty, Shahinur Rahman, told Jago News that there had been no planthopper attack in the field, but that it could be an attack of BLB disease.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.