LARKANA:The output of guava orchids has been very badly affected by mealy bug insects and growers are suffering 60 to 70% losses in and around Larkana district.
It was disclosed by President, Sindh Chamber of Agriculture, Sirajul Oliya Rashdi, while talking to this Scribe Saturday.
He said pesticides used for killing other insects were massively used by the growers to eliminate other diseases but there is still no drug for killing the mealybug which has reduced production of seasonal guava fruit by 60% causing tremendous losses to the peasants. He said guava orchids are spread over ten thousand hectares in Larkana district alone adding two years back output was approximately 65000 metric tons and last year it was between 25000 to 30000 metric tons.
He said previously almost 200 trucks of guava fruit were sent daily to different parts of the country but now hardly 50 trucks’ load is produced and supplied to different markets of all the four provinces adding losses could be assessed from this figure very easily.
He said the provincial government and it’s plant protection department need to be geared up forthwith to save guava and other fruit orchids or else, he feared, natural fruits will vanish in the coming years because of huge losses and regular attacks by harmful insects. He said a carton of 20 kgs is being sold now between Rs500 to 1000 but it’s unavailable. He said previously 150,000 to 200,000 labourers were working in guava orchids across the district and now about 20,000 have been given the job which has also enhanced poverty level here.
Rashdi said that tillers had already undergone huge losses on account of wheat, rice and other crops and the government failed to provide any subsidy. He said rates of pesticides and seeds had gone sky-rocketing and worst affected are the farmers and labourers.
Shamshad Shahani, another grower of Chooharpur village, said that we have already suffered huge losses on account of wheat, tomato and paddy crops and now losses on guava have broken our back. He said poor growers are getting advance payment in millions of rupees from agents of different markets of the country and in return they supply them guava duly packed but this year yield is so low that they cannot even make payment to the working labourers who are plucking guava from the trees.
They demanded of the Sindh Government to ensure elimination of harmful insects through biological means by timely spraying so that seasonal fruits could flourish and poor farmers and thousands of labourers should not suffer.