India, April 22 -- Down To Earth visited villages on the West Bengal-Bangladesh border that have been struck by wheat blast. Here is a report on what is happening there
Wheat blast is a fast-acting and deadly fungal disease that threatens food safety and security in tropical areas of South America and South Asia. Wheat blast can damage the grain in less than a week from the development of the first symptoms, leaving farmers no time to act.
The fungus thrives in warm and humid regions, thereby posing a serious threat to wheat production. In 2016, it first entered Asia through Bangladesh and has impacted around 15,000 hectares of land in eight districts, reducing yield on average by as much as 51 per cent in the affected fields.
Since then...