After cotton, moong under whitefly attack in India

After the cotton crop, moong-growers are facing similar conditions as almost the entire moong crop is suspected to have perished due to whitefly attack in Hisar and adjoining areas. Moong is cultivated on 22,000 hectares in Hisar.

The farmers complained that it would be difficult for them to repay the seasonal loan taken under the Kisan Credit Cards (KCC) this season as the losses have accumulated and they have no other source of income.

Farmer Charan Singh of Bandaheri who sowed moong on 20 acres has lost the entire crop and incurred a loss of around Rs 2 lakh. He is set to overturn his entire moong crop which has been damaged due to whitefly attack.

Agriculture officials said the moong crop was also under whitefly attack. “Like with the cotton crop, farmers are unlikely to get a profitable yield from the ‘moong’ crop. The yield of ‘moong’ is likely to go down by around 70 per cent,” said an official.

Farmers Naresh Kumar of Gorchi village, Dilip Singh of Dobhi village, Ramniwas of Kharia village and others said that despite the spray of pesticides, they were unable to save the crop from getting damaged due to whitefly.

Deputy Director Agriculture Balwant Saharan said that both cotton and moong have been attacked by whitefly. “The moong plants have started becoming yellow and the yield is likely to go down. We will submit a report to the state government about the condition of the kharif crops,” he said.