Grasshoppers attack broomstick plantations in Meghalaya village

GUWAHATI: A village in Meghalaya is under an attack from “strange” grasshoppers.

The insects made merry in 5 hectares of land at Nongthymmai in West Khasi Hills.

The villagers said they had never seen the black with white striped grasshoppers before that attacked their broomstick plantations. They feared their banana plantations could also come under attack from the insects.

District Magistrate Tableland Lyngwa said the insect attack was reported on June 5.

“After the matter was brought to our knowledge, an assistant horticulture officer and an agriculture inspector were sent to assess the damage,” the DM said.

The duo found the crops heavily infested. “The insects swarmed about 5 hectares of land. Insecticides have been sprayed and we are studying the extent of damage,” Agriculture Inspector G Byrsat said.

Official sources said a team from the Indian Council of Agricultural Research had already collected samples for an examination. In recent months, the land in parts of the Northeast had come under fall armyworm and inchworm attacks.