LARKANA, Oct 4: An urgent pesticide spray should be carried out to combat the pest attack on rice crop in Sindh and Balochistan and the government should announce subsidy on pesticides so as to avoid extensive damages.

This was demanded by Sindh-Balochistan Rice Millers and Traders Association president Gada Hussain Mahisar while talking to journalists here on Saturday.

Mr Mahisar criticized federal and provincial governments for their apathy towards the situation.

He said the pest attack was reported from Nasirabad and Dera Murad Jamali, Balochistan, and it would cause more damage if proper measures were not taken.

An entomologist from Islamabad who is conducting a survey of damages in Sindh told Mr Mahisar on Saturday that the Lakhi taluka in Shikarpur was the worst affected area. He said the Basmati variety of rice cultivated on 2.2 million acres in both the provinces had come under the attack.