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Tribune News Service
Bathinda, May 16
To increase the area under the cotton crop under the diversification project, Deputy Commissioner Diprava Lakra today visited some villages of Bathinda and Maur that are lying at the tail end of canals.
He visited Kotshamir, Kotfatta, Bhai Bakhtaur and Dhan Singh Khana villages to ensure that farmers are getting proper water supply for irrigation.
He said the target for cotton cultivation this year was 1.40 lakh hectares and till May 15, 1.05 lakh hectares had already been brought under the cash crop.
The DC added that the target would be met before May 20. He appealed to the farmers to get proper bills while buying seeds and if they were facing any problem, they might contact the Chief Agriculture Office or respective Block Agriculture Office.
The farmers said owing to the efforts of the district administration, they were getting improved water supply. The farmers also assured that they would try to increase the area under the cotton cultivation this year. The DC assured the farmers that till the sowing of cotton, they would not face any problem regarding irrigation.
Chief Agriculture Officer, Bathinda, Gurditta Singh Sidhu, who was also accompanying the DC, said there was no paucity of PAU recommended cotton seeds. He added that the department had constituted eight teams at the district and block levels for the checking of dealers.
To attain the targeted cotton cultivation, 14 field officers and 140 scouts have been recruited.
These officers and scouts are visiting field and submitting their reports on a daily basis. If farmers face any kind of problem, they can immediately contact their respective block or district-level teams. The problem will be redressed on the spot.
The DC also visited Bhai Bakhtaur village wherein the department has undertaken a bed planting technique for cotton cultivation.
Gurditta Singh said, “Using the technique, one acres of land can be sown with just two packets of seeds. This saves lot of water. Using the technique, the cotton plant doesn’t wilt and the number of plants too remains same.”
Agriculture Officer, Maur, Gurmail Singh, officials of the Irrigation Department and Revenue Department were also present on the occasion.
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