SHILLONG: There is no threat from the fall army worms (FAWs) to rice and maize plantations in Meghalaya, claimed Agriculture Minister Banteidor Lyngdoh on Tuesday.
The minister was reacting to reports that the threat of FAWs damaging rice and maize looms large in some parts of the Northeastern states, especially Manipur and Mizoram.
Lyngdoh said that the threat from FAWs has been completely negated after the state government took up measures to tackle the challenge.
He said that the government used bio pesticides to ensure that crops are not damaged by such worms. “As of now, there is no more threat from the fall army worms,” he said.
Earlier, a Joint Action Team (JAT), comprising representatives from Central Integrated Pest Management Centre (CIPC), Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) Manipur,
Central Agricultural University Manipur and Agriculture department was formed to handle the menace of FAWs in Manipur.
With the season of rice farming starting soon, entomologists have expressed concerns that the pest could shift its target to rice after devastating its host plant maize.
The fall armyworm pest, which is native to America, was detected in Lamphel and Langol Research farm of council, Manipur Centre. In India, the pest was detected for the first time in Karnataka in 2018 and rapidly spread to other parts of the country. Chhattisgarh was the last state to report the pest in January this year.
