The rice leaffolder caterpillars that fold a rice leaf around themselves and feed inside has affected about 5.7 acres of paddy fields belonging to 59 households in Phuentshothang Gewog of Samdrup Jongkhar.
Rice is one of the main sources of income for farmers there but with this time they are worried about the insect damaging their crop.
Samdrup, who owns two acres of paddy, says the insect pest has damaged almost an acre of his field.
“I have been living here for the last 20 years and this is the first time our paddy crops being affected by an insect. I am worried that this year, there won’t be enough rice even for own-consumption.”
Like Samdrup, other farmers are worried too.
“I don’t know what is happening but our paddy plants are dying as if we had poured hot water over them. Forget selling, this year, there won’t be enough for self-consumption too,” Tshering Wangchuk, a farmer, said.
“Usually, I produce enough rice for my family but this year my paddy plants are dying. I don’t feel like going to my paddy fields,” Chonney Zangmo, another farmer, said.
Meanwhile, the Gewog Administration and Dzongkhag Agriculture Office are aware of it and they said they carrying out necessary precautions to prevent the outbreak from escalating.
