Plea to check papaya mealy bug disease in cassava crops

TN small and marginal farmers association state president KR Sudantararasu submitted a petition to the Agriculture Minister MRK Panneerselvam at Erode seeking steps to check growing papaya mealy bug disease in cassava crops.

He said due to the disease, the hectarage of the crop raised in Erode district came down from 3000 to 1000 this year. So, the research activities should be geared up to control the disease. During the end of cassava harvesting season now, the starch mills in the state buy cassava at the rate of Rs 12000 per ton and traders of other states buy it at a price of Rs 15000 to 22000 due to shortage of cassava which is a raw material for making many food products. 

Its use in industries and pharmaceutical industries is high. Already, the price of 90 kg bag of starch rose from Rs 3000 to 3650 and sago from Rs 4000 to 4700. So, it is must to check crop disease, promote its hectarage by creating cassava research and marketing board in Erode and hike the subsidy for drip irrigation scheme, he said.