2 failed seasons hamper cotton sowing operations
AGAINST A TARGET OF 3 LAKH HECTARES, THE CROP HAS BEEN SOWN IN ONLY 8% OR 20,000 HECTARES THIS SEASON IN SOUTH MALWA DISTRICTS
BATHINDA : Two failed seasons in 2021 and 2022 have left the cotton growers in a quandary. With inclement weather also playing its part, cotton has been sown in only 8% or around 20,000 hectares of area in south Malwa, where the crop is considered an economic lifeline of the region.
As per the advisory of the Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), cotton sowing should be completed between April 15 and May 15 and with just 12 days left the farmers are racing against time to complete the sowing operations of the key kharif crop.
Agriculture experts and farmers said that after two consecutive seasons of the failed crop, the cotton growers are in a quandary whether to invest in the cultivation of the traditional cash crop or look for an alternative.
Information gathered by the state agriculture department on Wednesday said the cotton-growing districts have recorded sowing in 20,000 hectares (50,000 acres) against the target of 3 lakh hectares for the 2023-24 kharif cycle. In 2022-23, about 2.47 lakh hectares were under cotton cultivation.
Considered an economic lifeline of the semi-arid districts of the south Malwa region, the Punjab government for the first time had also rolled out a 33% subsidy on PAU-approved seeds. The move came after the experts said that crop failures in the 2021 and 2022 seasons were largely due to the use of unapproved seeds by farmers and pest infestation. Bathinda chief agriculture officer Dilbag Singh said the move was aimed at making the farmers buy only approved varieties. The data shows that the sowing has not gained momentum. Officials have blamed the ongoing inclement weather conditions and a delay in wheat harvesting this year as the main reason behind the delay in the sowing of the cotton crop.
Fazilka has attained the maximum acreage with 8,000 hectares against this year’s target of 1 lakh hectares.
Chief agriculture officer Jangir Singh hoped that the sowing would pick up next week. “After delayed wheat harvesting, farmers were busy clearing fields for the next crop. With the region witnessing widespread rains and a forecast of showers for another 3-4 days, the cotton growers are waiting for clear weather to start sowing,” he added.
In Bathinda, farmers have sown cotton only on 4,000 hectares whereas this year’s target is 80,000 hectares. In the last kharif season, the district had about 70,000 hectares under cotton. A resident of Mann Khera village in Mansa, Sharanjit Singh said the farmers are in quandary after two failed crops in 2021 and 2022 due to pest attacks.