On guard to save cotton crops

Agriculture departments of Punjab, Haryana ready to stop distribution of spurious cotton seeds, spray

The agriculture departments of Haryana and Punjab are extra vigilant this year to prevent distribution of spurious cotton seeds and chemical spray by distributors.

Last year, because of the bad quality of seeds and spray, there was a substantial loss of cotton crop, which was hit by white fly and leaf curl virus.

Sowing will start in May, after the wheat harvest is over.

As recommended by the All India Coordinated Research Project for Dry Land Agriculture, Haryana has approved 35 hybrid seed varieties and shortlisted 12 seed companies, to be granted a licence to operate.

The suppliers of seeds and pesticides will have to operate in a highly regulated market this year as the damage to cotton had political and financial repercussions on the state governments last year.

The Haryana government recently announced indemnity of Rs 967 crore to farmers affected by pests in five districts.

Sowing last year was 583,000 hectare in Haryana, concentrated largely in the districts Sirsa, Hisar, Jind Fatehabad and Bhiwani.

Sources in the agriculture department said the area under cotton could decline as growers diversify some part of their land towards other crops like guar and pulses. Where irrigation is available, paddy would be the first choice over cotton, as it has an assured Minimum Support Price.

The department had earlier projected to bring up to 50 per cent under desi (native) varieties to break the monoculture in cotton farming but this does not seem feasible, as farmers are not keen to take one risk after another by growing the desi variety on a large scale.

Punjab has approved 38 varieties of cotton seeds and its agriculture department is keeping an extra vigil on the distribution of seeds and chemical sprays so that the farmers are not fleeced by the companies.

Cotton acreage was 398,000 hectare last year in Punjab and has grown in the south-west of the state in districts Bathinda, Mansa, Barnala and surrounding areas.

The state government has decided to kick-off an awareness campaign, jointly with private distribution companies to make farmers aware of the ideal quantity and time of sowing and spraying to keep pests at bay.

The area this year may decline by 20-25 per cent over the last year as back-to-back crop failures have put farmers under acute stress and heavy debts.

Farmers in the Bathinda belt told Business Standard they would divert some area towards paddy and pulses. The cost of cotton cultivation is almost double that of paddy. Guar and pulses are other options available to the farmers during the kharif sowing season.

BALE-OUT

• Haryana and Punjab to keep strict vigil on cotton seeds and pesticides companies
   
• Haryana gave Rs 967 crore and Punjab Rs 600 crore compensation to cotton growers for crop loss due to white fly and leaf curl virus attack
   
• Acreage to decline this year, as cotton cultivation cost is higher and farmers don't want to risk their investments
  

 

583,000 ha in Haryana and 398,000 ha in Punjab was under cotton last year