Officials of the Horticulture Department are gearing up to launch a series of awareness camps for the tomato growers in the Chittoor and Annamayya districts, following the presence of the dreaded ‘bacteria wilt’, a disease that causes sudden death of plants, in small patches in several areas.
Amidst the fear that the disease may spread further, farmers are gearing up for a soil reclamation drive and sprinkling of bleaching powder and other chemicals.
At present, the yield has touched rock bottom in the Madanapalle region, considered Asia’s largest tomato belt.
