Andalib Akhter / New Delhi
Union Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has directed the formation of a special expert task force to address the growing threat posed by the litchi stink bug to Bihar’s litchi crop.
The move follows complaints from farmers regarding large-scale crop damage during an interaction programme held on May 7 at the Central Institute for Subtropical Horticulture in Lucknow. Taking swift note of the issue, the minister instructed officials to set up a dedicated panel of scientists and agricultural experts to assess the severity of the infestation and suggest urgent corrective measures.
As per an order issued by the ICAR-National Research Centre on Litchi in Muzaffarpur, the task force will visit the worst-affected litchi-growing districts in Bihar to conduct an on-ground scientific evaluation of crop losses linked to the pest attack.
The committee has been entrusted with preparing both short-term and long-term strategies to safeguard the crop and provide relief to affected growers. It will also recommend awareness drives, farmer advisories and extension programmes, while identifying support measures required from both the Centre and the Bihar government.
The Director of the National Research Centre on Litchi will head the panel. Representatives from Bihar’s horticulture and plant protection departments, along with scientists from agricultural universities and various ICAR institutes, have been included in the team.
Key experts named in the task force include Jaipal Singh Chaudhary from the ICAR Research Complex for Eastern Region, M Sampat Kumar from the National Bureau of Agricultural Insect Resources, and scientists Ipsita Samal and Vinod Kumar, who will serve as member secretary of the panel.
The task force has been asked to submit its findings to the Union Agriculture Minister within a week so that immediate steps can be taken to contain the crisis and minimise losses for farmers.