Hindustan Times (Amritsar)

Agri minister seeks report on cotton seed quality in 72 hours

- Vishal Joshi vishal.joshi@htlive.com

BATHINDA : Miffed with the delay in field reports about seed quality following the pink bollworm attack on cotton crop, Punjab agricultur­e minister Randeep Singh Nabha on Tuesday directed deputy commission­ers of southern districts to compile details within 72 hours.

Pest outbreak was a serious issue that required inputs from the ground before chalking out a broader plan for the next sowing season, said the minister, who had previously sought time-bound reports on September 29.

“There are allegation­s from various quarters that spurious seeds and pesticides were behind the devastatin­g pink bollworm attack. The field reports should have been filed by now. The respective district authoritie­s should now file these within the next 72 hours. Accountabi­lity will be fixed if anyone is found involved in the sale of spurious seeds and pesticides or overlookin­g their availabili­ty,” said Nabha.

The minister said the reports from cotton-growing belts were also required to determine the exact crop loss for compensati­on. “As per existing rules, loss between 76% and 100% can be compensate­d with Rs 12,000 per acre. But it is the domain of the finance minister to finalise the amount of compensati­on,” he added.

Nabha said experts of Punjab Agricultur­al University (PAU), Ludhiana, and other institutes had been taken on board to chalk out a long-term plan to mitigate infestatio­n of pink bollworm.

Prima facie, the onus of transporta­tion of this pest from other states lied on the cottonginn­ing and oil-extraction firms, he added.

“We do not intend to take any punitive action. But factory owners must ensure that safety protocols are followed strictly to check the population growth of pests. Also, a mass awareness drive has been planned to sentitise farmers by February to adopt best farm practices,” he added.

Nabha said a draft farmers’ policy, framed by the Punjab Farmers and Farm Workers Commission, will be reviewed for implementa­tion.

“Ajay Vir Jakhar, who recently resigned as commission chairperso­n, had spent considerab­le time to prepare the report. It deserves to be discussed in the government and we should adopt the best recommenda­tions,” said the minister.

 ?? ?? The minister said reports from cotton-growing belts were also required to determine exact crop loss for compensati­on.
The minister said reports from cotton-growing belts were also required to determine exact crop loss for compensati­on.

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