Swarm of painted grasshoppers damages crops in Surat’s Navsari village

Dilip Patel, a farmer of Devdha village, said, “I grow chikoo, mango and vegetables in my farm. Grasshoppers damaged some of my crops, eating away the leaves. The loss is not major but this is the first time we have seen an attack by grasshoppers.

After sometime, the swarm flew across the river to the other bank.”

On Thursday, a team from Navsari district horticulture department and agriculture department, alongwith scientists from the Navsari Agriculture University visited Devdha village and its neighbouring Devasra and Talod villages. The team assessed the damage in chikoo farms as well as other vegetable crops.

Navsari agriculture officer Dr Atul Gajera said, “We visited the Devdha village and examined the situation… some part of the fields were damaged by the swarm of painted grasshoppers. The loss to the farmers is not major as the attack was for a short time. We will also check the fields in neighbouring villages.”

Navsari agriculture university head scientist CK Timabiya said, “Our teams have collected samples, including half-eaten leaves, for further investigations.”