New Delhi, May 8 (IANS) Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Shivraj Singh Chouhan has set up a special expert task force to look into the damage caused to the litchi crop in Bihar and come up with a report on the remedial measures to help farmers within a week, according to an official statement issued on Friday.

Farmers informed the minister about the extensive damage being caused to litchi crops due to the litchi stink bug at an interaction programme organised at the Central Institute for Subtropical Horticulture, Lucknow, on Thursday.

The special expert task force will visit the affected areas and submit a report along with recommendations for remedial measures, the statement said.

According to an order issued on May 7 by the National Research Centre on Litchi, Muzaffarpur, the task force will assess the current situation related to the litchi stink bug, visit affected regions, scientifically study crop losses, and suggest both immediate and long-term measures to provide relief to farmers.

The task force will also recommend necessary advisories and extension activities for farmers, besides suggesting interventions required at both the state and central levels.

As per the order, the expert task force has been constituted with scientists, officials and specialists from various institutions. The Director of the National Research Centre on Litchi, Muzaffarpur, has been appointed as the Chairperson of the panel.

According to the order, the task force will soon visit the most affected blocks in litchi-producing districts of Bihar and will submit its report to the Agriculture Minister within one week so that necessary action can be taken in a timely manner.

The members of the task force include representatives nominated by the Director of Horticulture-cum-Bihar State Horticulture Mission, representatives nominated by the Director of Plant Protection, Bihar Agriculture Department; a representative nominated by the entomologist of Dr Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University, Pusa, Samastipur; a representative nominated by the Principal Scientist (Entomology) of Bihar Agricultural University, Sabour, Bhagalpur; and a representative nominated by the Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture.

The panel also includes scientist Dr Jaipal Singh Chaudhary from the ICAR Research Complex for Eastern Region and the Centre for Agricultural Systems Research for Hill and Plateau Region, Ranchi; Dr M Sampat Kumar from the National Bureau of Agricultural Insect Resources, Bengaluru; scientist (Entomology) Dr Ipsita Samal from the ICAR-National Research Centre on Litchi, Muzaffarpur; and Principal Scientist (Entomology) Dr Vinod Kumar, who will serve as the member secretary of the task force.

–IANS

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