India, March 22 -- Monocropping maize prepared a ground for the pest attack in the state
Farmers in Telangana, who a decade and a half ago used to follow crop rotation, had switched to maize owing to factors like assured market, short crop duration, more returns and its ability to grow in all seasons. Soon the area under maize cultivation in the state increased to around 5 lakh hectares. Little did the farmers know that this monocropping practice was preparing ground for disasters like Fall Armyworm (FAW) attack.
Now, farmers are destroying their crops after the pest, which the locals call Kattera Purugu, ravaged it. They are switching back to other crops.
"Once this area was a haven for chilli, but vagaries of the market played havoc wi...