WONGSOREJO – Dozens of hectares of chili plantations in Bangsring Village, Wongsorejo District, Banyuwangi, attacked by termites until yesterday (28/9). These pests eat away at the stems and roots of chilies so that the plants dry up and die.
Not only that, plant-disturbing organisms such as mealybugs, fruit rot disease, and some kind of fungus is also rampant in the area 12 the hectare. as a result, chili plants die and dry up, black chili tree leaves, and there are white-white. And the cayenne pepper is almost completely rotted so that farmers don't get any harvest from their chili trees.
Buri, 60, a chili farmer in Bangsring Village said, pests attacked his cayenne pepper plant since three weeks ago. Farmers can only surrender to the harvest they get.
“Yields are reduced. Now many trees are dead,” said Buri. In addition, the price of cayenne pepper is now only Rp 6.000 per kilogram (kg) make farmers worse off. The price that does not go up is triggered by the fact that many regions grow chilies so that the supply of chili is abundant and prices are falling.
When conditions are normal and not attacked by pests, farmers claim to be able to harvest as much as 40 kg of cayenne pepper per week. For now, farmers can only harvest chili 25 kg per week only. “Weather also affects. Maybe it's because of the heat, Finally the termites are looking for a cooler place around the chili area,” said Buri.
As a countermeasure, farmers have sprayed with pesticides on their cayenne pepper plants. However, Until now, termites are still eating away at the stems of chili plants and the yields obtained by farmers are threatened to decline.
“Because what is being attacked is the stems and roots under the plant so they are difficult to reach,” Buri toilet. (radar)
