Pink bollworm attack leaves Mansa's cotton farmers worried

Tribune News Service

Mansa, June 8

The pink bollworm attack on Bt cotton has left farmers worried in Mansa district, the cotton belt of Punjab. At some places, farmers have even started spraying on their own to protect the crop. The Agriculture Department has barred farmers from spraying indiscriminately on the cotton crop. Experts in the department described the attack as “minor” and said it was below the ETL (economic threshold level).

The BKU Ekta Ugrahan district president, Ram Singh Bhainibagha, said Gurdeep Singh, a farmer of Bhalaike village in Mansa district, had brought to the notice that he had planted cotton on two acres with mustard, which had now been attacked by pink bollworm. He said the attack was an indication that the cotton crop would not be able to survive this time as well.

He demanded that the Punjab Government must take concrete steps for the control of weevils from now onwards and provide required pesticides of best quality and at subsidised rates to farmers through cooperative agricultural societies.

Telling the farmers not to panic, officials of the Agriculture Department said, “During the latest survey conducted by the department, the issue of such an attack has not come to light anywhere in fields.”

Agriculture Department District Officer Dr Manjeet Singh admitted that pheromone traps had been set up by the department, which led to spotting of flying moths of pink bollworm at some places. At present, their position was only up to eggs and there was no hope of going beyond that, he said. The Agriculture Department had been on alert in this regard, he added.

Meanwhile, the Agriculture Officer, Dr Manoj Kumar, said the bollworm attack took place in mustard fields of the Jhunir and Sardulgarh areas, but there was no need to panic. “At present, it is no time to spray as the sun shine is so hard that any spray will not work,” he said.

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