State to increase area under cotton cultivation by 25%

BATHINDA: With Punjab crossing the target of bringing 4-lakh hectare land under cotton cultivation in 2019, the highest since the 2015 season in eight districts of the region, state officials and agricultural experts hope for another good season this year. The state government targets adding another 1 lakh hectare in the Malwa region under cotton cultivation. This will be an increase of 25% over the current area of 4-lakh hectare.

To date, private and central agencies purchased a record 35 lakh quintal this season and production is expected to cross 40 lakh quintal. This success comes in the backdrop of a bad 2015 season, when whitefly epidemic ravaged cotton crop in the state; almost 66% of the crop was hit.

Agriculture director Sutantar Kumar Airi told HT, “Cotton sowing will start from April and the department plans to double the area under cotton cultivation in Barnala and Sangrur from the previous season of 4,000 and 10,000 hectare, respectively. Overall, we expect area under cotton cultivation to touch the 5 lakh hectare mark.”

“District administrations and agricultural officials have been asked to start the first step of removing weeds like ‘kanghi buti’, ‘peeli buti’, ‘puth kanda’, ‘dhatura’ and ‘bhang’ growing on field bunds, wastelands, roadsides and irrigation channels/ canals through community participation. In the last season, it proved immensely beneficial in keeping whitefly pest at bay,” Airi added.

Officials say in 2019, the crop was very good as there was no major pest attack and average yield was close to 800kg lint per hectare. In 2015, cotton yield dropped to a low of 197kg lint per hectare due to whitefly attack.

In 2016, the cotton yield in Malwa belt was 756kg; 750kg (2017) and 778kg (2018).

Airi said the state authorities are planning to strengthen the market of the crop. “Demand for cotton in the international and domestic markets remained low in 2019-20. The Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) played an important role in purchasing a significant proportion of the production at the minimum support price (MSP),” Airi added.

Cotton state coordinator Rajnish Goel said till March 5, the CCI had bought 12.65 lakh quintal cotton and private parties registered purchase of 22 lakh quintal below the MSP. Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) research director Navtej Singh Bains said coordinated efforts by farm scientists, agricultural extension teams and farmers resulted in a disease-free season in 2019.