Spread of 'leaf blight’ disease, locally known as patamora rog, has put potato farmers in five upazilas of Thakurgaon district in a difficult siatuation.

As the affected farmers are reaping potato before its attaining maturity, production target in the current season now seems unattainable.

Farmers are also fearing losses as sprayingmedicine to frpjp the disease is. adding to the production cost.

“The leaf blight disease that attacked the potato crops is a kind of fungal disease, which is locally known as

'patamora rog' in the district. This has been caused by cold and foggy weather, fluctuation in temperature that helped the disease to spread on potato plants soon, said Abul Hayat, deputy director of Agriculture Extension Department (AED) in Thakurgaon.

Claiming that the situation is still under control, he said field workers and officials are advising farmers about what to do.

Upazila Agriculture Extension Officer Monsur Alam told The Daily Star, "We axe.advising farmers to .spray 2gram of 'Mehcozeb or 'Metalexyl' groups medicine mixed with one litre water on their potato fields at regular intervals to combat the dis-

ease.

During a recent visit at Borunagaon, Salondar, Farabari, Bhully, Balia and Nargun villages under Sadar upazila, this correspondent saw attack of massive leaf blight attack on potato fields.

"I spent about Tk 37,000 to cultivate potato on 2.5 bighaof leased land but the disease damaged all the crops. I made futile attempts to save the crops by spraying medicine several times,” said Shasin Barman of Salondar village under Sadar upazila.

. "L cultivated p,otatof crops on 3-blgna [one acre] of land. The disease has attacked the crops. At first leaves fell and then the plants died soon. Nobody identified the disease

and suggested any remedy," Ahsanur Rahman, a farmer of Balia village, said.

Many other farmers in different areas said the disease damaged huge tract of potato crops. They worried about its drastic fall of production in the current season and would incur huge loss.

About 23,270 hectares of land have been brought under potato cultivation against the target 23,000 hectares with production target of 3-lakh 68-thousand tonnes in the current season..

AED officials however, said potato crops only on 108 hectares of land in the entire district were attacked with leaf blight disease.