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Cotton sowing starts, Punjab plans to increase area by 37%
Punjab agriculture director Sutantar Kumar Airi says crop sowing to be complete by May 20; targeted area to be put under cotton is 5.5 lakh hectare
Amid covid-19 outbreak, the state agriculture department has set a new target to bring 5.5 lakh hectare under cotton cultivation, almost 37% more than last year’s 4 lakh hectare. Sowing in South Malwa districts, the cotton belt of the state, started this week, with a delay of seven days and it is expected to peak from the next week. Wheat crop has been bumper and is at the last leg of harvesting.
Canal water in key districts of Bathinda, Mansa and Muktsar was released on April 27. Fazilka chief agriculture officer Manjit Singh said, “Cleaning of minor canals of Malooka and Arniwala is being done and water will in these channels is expected to be reached by Saturday. Cotton has been sown in about 500 hectares and the estimated area of 1.25 lakh will be covered by May 20,” he said.
A progressive cotton grower from Bathinda’s Bajak village Baldev Singh said the farming community hoped for support from state agencies for easy availability of seeds and canal water supply during the lockdown. “As the state is boosting crop diversification, the agencies should also ensure that farmers will get a fair price for their cotton produce,” he said.
State agriculture director Sutantar Kumar Airi told HT that cotton sowing in Punjab will complete by May 20. The state authorities have coordinated to arrange 27 lakh packets of cotton for the targeted 5.5 lakh hectare land.
“Earlier, the department had set a target to cover 5 lakh hectare under cotton but now we are trying to make it to 5.5 lakh in the state. Our teams have been motivating farmers for the last several months to shift from paddy to cotton,” said Airi.
In Bathinda, the cotton area will be stepped up from 1.40 lakh hectare in 2019 to 2 lakh hectare. In Fazilka, the department has planned to increase procurement from 92,000 hectare to 1.25 lakh hectare this year, said Airi. In Mansa, the department has aimed to increase the area by 1 lakh hectare, an increase of 20,000 hectare. Muktsar is expected to see an increase from 72,000 hectare to 1.05 lakh hectare.
The official said the department planned to more than double the area under cotton cultivation in Barnala, Sangrur, Faridkot and Moga from the previous season of 4,000, 10,000, 3,000 and 122 hectares, respectively. “Time of sowing cotton is suitable till May 31 and farmers need not worry. Delay in sowing is insignificant as it happened due to prolonged picking of bumper cotton last year,” he said.
