NAOGAON, Sept 04: Peasants in Raninagar upazila of the district are worried over the pest attack on their sugarcane fields.
As the result of the pest attack, the sugarcane plants are drying and dying in the area.
The Department of Agriculture Extension sources said some 13 hectares of land have been brought under sugarcane cultivation in eight unions under the upazila.
Bahadurpur, Chakmanu and Chakkutub areas of upazila's Kashimpur union; Chandipur and Chuniagari of Sadar union are the most affected areas in the upazila.
One Babu Mia of Bahadurpur village of the upazila said he cultivated sugarcane on five bighas of land this year.
Suddenly, leaves of the sugarcane plants are turning red and drying out being attacked by red rot disease. No pesticides are working against red ror, he added.
Upazila agriculture officer Shahidul Islam said the pest attack on sugarcane plants might have been happened due to waterlogging on cropland after rain.
Farmers have been instructed to harvest the crop as early as possible as there is no remedy available to save the plants at the last stage of cultivation, Mr Islam added.
