Cotton farmers fear whitefly attack in hot, humid weather

BATHINDA: The cotton belt of Punjab — districts of Bathinda, Faridkot, Mansa and Muktsar — have had no rain for the past few weeks. This, and the hot and humid weather, has cotton farmers like Ramandeep Singh, a farmer of Bathinda rural, worried. “We need rain as only it can wash the plant and take away the threat of whitefly. Sprays only protect the leaves,” he says. Gurbaj Singh, another cotton farmer, is in the same boat.

Experience has shown that hot and humid weather and no rain are ideal weather conditions for the growth of whitefly which created havoc in 2015, destroying 65% of cotton crop of the region.

NO THREAT AT MOMENT: DISTRICT ADMN

Shashi Kumar, block agriculture officer, Bathinda, dispels the worries of farmers like Ramandeep, offeringh technical evidence.

“The plants are bigger and better this year. This in not 2015 when thew whitefly pest surfaced in June itself,” he added, claiming that the department had appointed scouts to educate farmers on pesticides to be used, if at all a portion of the crop was affected. Bathinda agriculture development officer Baljinder Singh said the department had started a weed-eradication programme in February as weeds are foster home for whitefly.

“More than 20 teams have been formed to hold camps in villages. The menace of whitefly is difficult to control once an outbreak occurs, but with right precautionary measures, the disease can be tackled,” he said. PATIALA: Trade unions associated with Pepsu Road Transport Corporation (PRTC) and Punjab Roadways have trashed the recently-notified new transport policy of the Congress government, claiming that new rules reduce public transport share of routes to 50% from 75% previously.

The government has maintained that the new policy is meant to end transport mafia in the state. The government has recently notified the policy and invited objections before it implements the same.

The unions termed the new policy worst than that implemented during the SAD-BJP tenure. This previous policy had been considered to majorly favour ‘influential’ private transporters.

At least six unions — the AllIndia Trade Union Congress (AITUC), the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC), Karamchari Dal, SC/BC Employees union and retired workers union — have also formed an action committee. This committee had decided to start a protest against the new Congress policy.

Nirmal Singh Dhaliwal, general secretary, All-India Trade Union Congress (AITUC), said, the claims of the Congress in reviving both the PRTC and the Punjab Roadways had fallen flat with new transport policy.

“The new policy promotes actually clips the wings of both state-run transport undertakings,” Dhaliwal said.

The plants are bigger and better this year. This in not 2015 when thew whitefly pest surfaced in June itself.