A total of 66 pesticide samples were collected from 73 dealers in Balangir district and sent to the Central Insecticide laboratory, Faridabad in
Haryana for test.
Agriculture Deputy Director Sridhar Das said, “We are expecting reports in a month’s time and, on receipt of the same, we could say whether the sub-standard pesticides were sold and used in the district.”
Paddy crops in 6,800 hectares of land were affected due to Brown Plant Hopper (BPH) attack out of which 5, 390 hectares suffered crop loss of more than 33 per cent, Das added.