Cotton sown on 4.9L hectares in Punjab

Tribune News Service

Moga, June 10

Farmers in Punjab are showing more interest in sowing cotton as compared to the last year. It’s probably due to the shortage of labour and late harvesting of wheat amidst the Covid crisis.

Dr Sutantar Kumar Aery, Director Agriculture, while talking to The Tribune, said cotton had been sown on 4.9 lakh hectares in the state. Last year, about 3.5 lakh hectares of land was under cotton cultivation.

After holding meetings with agriculture officials in Sangrur and Bathinda on Wednesday, Dr Aery said the department had fixed a target of 5 lakh hectares to be brought under cotton crop. “We have almost reached the target and final figures will be compiled by June 15,” he said.

The sowing of cotton is likely to complete in a few days. He said, “We have been advising the farmers to get out of the water-guzzling paddy cultivation and go for cotton and maize, which require less irrigation. The sowing of maize has just begun in the state.”

Agriculture officials of seven districts of the cotton belt revealed that the cotton crop was healthy at the infancy stage because there was no heatwave in the region so far.

Agriculture scientist Dr Jaswinder Singh Brar said the state government was also making efforts for crop diversification so the area under paddy cultivation would decrease during the current kharif season.

The state government has also made arrangements of 26,57,500 packets (200 gm each) of hybrid cotton seeds through 27 seed companies for sale to the farmers in the state.

Meanwhile, Dr Kahan Singh Pannu, Secretary, Agriculture, has asked the officials at the field level to ensure that dealers/sellers give proper bills for pesticide sale to farmers.

Seed packs for sale

The state government has made arrangements for 26.57 lakh packets (200 gm each) of hybrid cotton seeds through 27 seed companies for sale to the farmers in the state