Warm temperatures for prolonged periods may have led to massive pest attack in Assam

Subject: Geography

Section: Physical geography

Context:

Continuous warm temperatures for prolonged periods may have led to the serious pest infestation in Assam that damaged around 28,000 hectares of paddy crop in at least 15 districts. The crop was nearing maturity and about to be harvested when the pests attacked it.
The affected farmers will get benefits under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, the national crop insurance policy.

Details:

Pest- Mythimna separata
The pest was first reported as a sporadic pest from Tamil Nadu in 1937 and Kerala and Odisha in 1957.
They are known as the ear-head-cutting caterpillar, rice ear-cutting caterpillar, or armyworm.
It feeds on leaves and can cut off panicles from the base of a crop plant, frequently leaving the field looking like it has been grazed by cattle.
During an outbreak, the pest multiplies in large numbers and moves in swarms from field to field, like an army, to feed and attack the crops.
Reason for pest attack:
- An increase in temperatures with dryness creates a favourable condition for the pest population to increase.
- According to a study, every small rise in global temperatures will reduce the lifecycle of insects, resulting in a higher population of pests, increasing generations, an extension of geographical range and development season, and high risks of invasion by migrant pests and overwintering.
In India, which is home to 6.83 per cent of the world’s insect species, a degree Celsius rise in temperature would enable them to expand in presence about 200 kilometres northwards and 40 metres upward in terms of altitude.

PM Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY):

Launched on 18 February 2026.
It aims to reduce the premium burden on farmers and ensure early settlement of crop assurance claims for the full insured sum.
The Scheme covers all Food & Oilseeds crops and Annual Commercial/Horticultural Crops for which past yield data is available and for which a requisite number of crop-cutting experiments (CCEs) are being conducted under the General Crop Estimation Survey (GCES).
OBJECTIVES:
- To provide insurance coverage and financial support to the farmers in the event of failure of any of the notified crops as a result of natural calamities, pests & diseases.
- To stabilise the income of farmers to ensure their continuance in farming.
- To encourage farmers to adopt innovative and modern agricultural practices.
- To ensure the flow of credit to the agriculture sector.

Implementing Agency:

It will be implemented through a multi-agency framework by selected insurance companies under the overall guidance & control of the Department of Agriculture, Cooperation & Farmers Welfare (DAC&FW),Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare (MoA&FW), Government of India (GOI) and the concerned State in coordination with various other agencies; viz Financial Institutions like Commercial Banks, Co-operative Banks, Regional Rural Banks and their regulatory bodies, Government Departments viz. Agriculture, Co-operation, Horticulture, Statistics, Revenue, Information/Science & Technology, Panchayati Raj etc.