Sugarcane on about 100 bighas of land under the mill zone areas of Rangpur Sugar Mills in Gaibandha district have dried due to severe attack of stem borer, locally called majra poka, much to the worry of growers and mill authorities.

Pesticides, even those supplied by the mill authorities, failed to control widespread insect attack on sugarcane in Satitola and Poontair blocks in Gobindaganj upazila under Gaibandha district, farmers said.

Visiting the affected areas, it was seen that huge pest-affected sugarcane in the fields are getting dried and many farmers were felling those for using as fire stick.

Farmers cultivated sugarcane on 3,882 acres of land to meet the demand of Rangpur Sugar Mills in this crushing season, but the authorities are now worried about adequate supply of sugarcane, as stem borer damaged huge sugarcane, mill sources said.      

Pest attack on sugarcane fields has continued spreading and plants are drying up at different places, said local growers.

"We have sprayed pesticide in the sugarcane field to control majra poka, but that did not work much," said Saiful Islam, a farmer of Satitola village.

"I have cultivated sugarcane on one and a half bighas of land, but pest attack damaged the whole field," said Haider Ali, another sugarcane grower.

The farmers demanded immediate running of mill, so that they can supply sugarcane before further spread of insects.

As per usual practice, the mill is supposed to start sugarcane crushing in late December or early January.

Admitting massive pest attack on sugarcane fields, Abdul Khaleque, managing director of Rangpur Sugar Mills, said, "Adequate measures were taken to control pest attack on sugarcane fields, but to no affect. The last flood also badly affected many of the sugarcane fields in the area."

A team from Dhaka recently visited the affected fields and took samples of affected plants for further test, he said.