In its recent report sent to the State agriculture department, the centre specifically cautioned the department to hold training sessions to educate the farmers on ways to reduce the menace caused by pests and diseases, although poor rains had also indirectly helped in solving a part of the problem.

According to the Centre officials, who recently surveyed the Saurashtra region -- which grows groundnuts in more than 18 lakh hectares -- though lack of water and moisture could reduce the population of pests like aphid and leaf-miners, threat to crops by hairy caterpillars and other pests stilll existed. The remaining pests, if surviving, could also migrate to the irrigated crops, the report added.

Though only traces of the pests and diseases were currently found in the major groundnut, cotton and paddy farmers should take care.