Punjab seeks nod to BG-3 GM cotton seeds to check pest attacks
Officials of the Punjab agriculture department fear that in case timely corrective steps were not taken, growers might completely stop growing cotton and shift to water-guzzler paddy, which is an environmental hazard as it leads to fall in subsoil water level.
Owing to a drastic fall in the area under cotton in Punjab, growers and the state government have sought the next generation BG-3 (stage-III of genetically modified) cotton seeds to fight pink bollworm and whitefly, which are causing heavy losses to the crop over the past few years.
The area under the cash crop has fallen drastically over 5 years from 3.35 lakh hectares in 2019 to 94,000 hectares in the current season.
Officials of the state agriculture department fear that in case timely corrective steps were not taken, growers might completely stop growing cotton and shift to water-guzzler paddy, which is an environmental hazard as it leads to fall in subsoil water level.
Almost 145 out 162 blocks in the state have already turned grey because of the average fall in subsoil water levels by one meter annually. The rate of charging of water levels is slower than its usage.
From last year’s 1.73 lakh hectares, the current season has seen a fall in the area under cotton crop by 45% and farmers have started ploughing back the crop where pest attack is beyond control to catch up with the late paddy varieties. Cotton growers in some villages in Mansa, Fazilka and Bathinda are ploughing back cotton crop in their fields and opting for transplantation of PR 126 paddy variety which has a growing span of 110 days.
“The input cost for spraying pesticides to fight bollworm and whitefly leads to substantial increase in the input cost and the crop has become economically unviable,” said an official in the state agriculture department. He added that cotton gives better earnings as compared to other crops in the season, but paddy gives assured income though its less than the cash crop.
{{/usCountry}}“The input cost for spraying pesticides to fight bollworm and whitefly leads to substantial increase in the input cost and the crop has become economically unviable,” said an official in the state agriculture department. He added that cotton gives better earnings as compared to other crops in the season, but paddy gives assured income though its less than the cash crop.
{{/usCountry}}Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Ludhiana, has given late varieties but it is worried that these varieties will take over the area under paddy. “We want the area under cotton to expand and farmers, particularly in the cotton belt of south-west Punjab, should not shift to paddy. They urgently need better seed varieties,” said PAU vice-chancellor Dr SS Gosal.
{{/usCountry}}Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Ludhiana, has given late varieties but it is worried that these varieties will take over the area under paddy. “We want the area under cotton to expand and farmers, particularly in the cotton belt of south-west Punjab, should not shift to paddy. They urgently need better seed varieties,” said PAU vice-chancellor Dr SS Gosal.
{{/usCountry}}According to the special principal secretary, head of the agriculture department, KAP Sinha, the Centre’s agriculture and farmers’ welfare ministry were apprised of the situation.
The Punjab government is pushing for diversification by moving farmers away from growing water-guzzler paddy. “We have been successful in increasing the area under maize, aromatic premium paddy basmati and direct seeded rice as steps towards diversification but the fall in the area under cotton is a big worry,” said a senior official in the agriculture department.
Stage-II of the BG seed variety has become redundant, and stage-III of the seed is awaiting clearance from the genetic engineering appraisal committee (GEAC). “We have been told by the Union minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan to make BG-III cotton seed at the earliest, but it depends on how soon they are made available,” said the state’s director agriculture, Jaswant Singh.
