Bean leaves have turned yellowish due to 'virus' attack, much to the worry of thousands of farmers in Sadar upazila.

Sources at Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) in the district said, as the vegetable farming became profitable in the area, over 5000 cultivated bean on about 1120 hectors of land this year.

During a recent visit to the fields of Koralia, Balia and Dakkhin Dighaldi villages, this correspondent found bean leaves dying after the disease.

Farmers used pesticides to protect the fields from insects but all went in vain as the bean leaves and flowers turned yellowish day by day.

Finding no other way, they tore the bean leaves from the plant and used those as cattle feed, said the affected farmers.

Md Sadeq Mullick, a bean grower of Koralia village, said pest attacked the plants

on his 2.52 acres of land in spite of using two pesticides-Kasumin and Ridomil Gold.

Like him, farmer Yasin Mollah, Idrish Biswas and Mofizul Islam of the area expressed deep concern over the situation.

They said because of the disease, bean yield would drop by around 30 percent this year.

Muhammad Nazmul Hossain and Moen Uddin Mollah, sub-assistant agricultural officers of Bhola Sadar upazila, said more than 700 acres of land in Dakkhin Dighaldi union alone have been brought under bean cultivation.

Identifying the disease as a virus attack, Bashir Ahmed, plant protection officer of Bhola DAE, said the affected leaves and flowers should be dumped as it was not safe to eat bean from the attacked plants.

Ramendranath Baroi, deputy director of Bhola DAE, said necessary action would be taken soon after investigating the cause of the disease.