Sirmaur garlic threatened by Yellow Rust – Ryots  in pensive mood

Sirmaur district of Himachal Pradesh known for quality production of garlic cash crop currently reeling under threat of outbreak of Yellow Rust fungal disease increasing the worries of thousands of ryots liveing in pensive mood. Hybrid garlic grown in district Sirmaur is in high demand in big market like Baduga Patti, Kochi of Tamil Nadu in South India. At the same time, garlic has also been exported to Nepal and Thailand from Sirmaur district. Since garlic is having long shell life and is a less perishable crop farmers consider it as a cash crop, it can also be stored round the year easily in normal conditions without the help of cold chain. The department of agriculture is getting volley of queries and receiving number of complaints of outbreak of disease. Many farmers from Lanacheta and Nauradhar areas of district sought assistance from the department. A team has been sent to affected areas. Adding double whammy to their sufferings the crop is already under thicket of drought which has impacted its growth.  In many places the crop has come under the grip of yellow rust. The exact impact of outbreak is being ascertained after summoning reports from the field team. It is worthwhile to mention here that Garlic is main commercial crop of Sirmaur in Himachal Pradesh, it is mostly a less water guzzling crop however it is prone to yellow rust disease. Farmer Rajinder Kanwar from Rajgarh said that farmers are facing yellowish ness in the foliage . Agriculture department is getting complaints about rotting leaves and insects in the bulbs. The outbreak is likely to impact production of garlic drastically.  According to department in the district 4,000 hectares of arable land in district Sirmaur is under garlic crop and target production of the tune to 60,000 metric tonnes has been set . Agriculture experts suggests crop rotation to avoid disease however if farmers continue sowing it in same farm it increases the incidences of yellow rust as lack of required nutrients are not available for the crop in the soil.  Main cause of failure to the crop often attributed to repeating same crop cycle every season .  The incidence of outbreak is further increased by the prevailing drought and abnormal warm weather in the winter season. In many places, due to disease, crops have started rotting in the fields. Himachal’s garlic is considered beneficial for health due to natural production and very less use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers during production. The Antioxidants quality of garlic increased its medicinal properties and economical importance for the daily use in kitchen. Many cells division boasting and fast wounds heeling property is also found in abundance in the garlic, which promotes immunity. The rare Ayurvedic elements and nutrients like sodium, fiber, vitamin C, manganese, vitamin B-6 further increase its medicinal properties. Garlics daily use help avoid many health ailments in human being.