Thaindian News

By Sawinder Singh

Amritsar, Apr 28 (ANI): A viral disease, which has hit the growing crop of Muskmelon all over Punjab, has left many farmers worried for they are witnessing that hundreds of acres of crop is dying its slow death.

Farmers here said that despite of spraying the insecticides and rooting out the diseased plants as advised by the Horticulture department, the disease is not coming under control.

Baz Singh, Assistant Director, Horticulture Department, Punjab, said that a virus has hit the crop all over and from five to fifty percent damaged the Melon’s crop in particular.

“There are a few villages where the crop has been damaged up to 60. The disease was first seen in Jalandhar, Kapurthala and is now spreading out. We have asked the farmers to root out the plants, which are diseased and spray of Melathine and other insecticides should be carried. We are making the farmers aware about the problem,”: he said.

The fake seeds are also said to be one of the reasons behind the destruction of the crop all over.

Satnam Singh, a farmer at Nave Naag village, said he has planted the crop in his six acres’ farm and the entire crop is damaged badly.

“A virus and blight has hit the entire crop. We are worried. The Horticulture Departments had advised some measures to control the disease but all is in vain,” he said.Karnail Singh, another farmer, who has also planted the crop in his six acres land, said that they will be facing huge losses as they have spent from Rs. 10 to 12,000 per acre to plant the fruit, but they seem no return for the crop as above 60 percent of the crop has been affected.

He demanded that the government should give suitable compensation to those farmers, whose wheat crops had been destroyed due to the recent rains in Punjab. (ANI)