DIRECTS DEPT TO ENSURE TIMELY ADVANCE SUPPORT TO FARMERS FOR NEXT KHARIF SEASON
Chandigarh, December 19 Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Thursday congratulated the state’s farmers, especially from the Malwa belt, for record production of cotton, while directing the Agriculture Department to ensure timely advance support for the cotton growers for the next Kharif season.
This season’s expected cotton production is 18.20 lac bales, against 12.23 lac bales in the previous year, with average production per acre crossing the 10 quintals per acre mark, as againsg last year’s 9.31 quintals per acre.
Captain Amarinder, who also holds the Agriculture portfolio, lauded the efforts of the Agriculture Department, especially the field staff, in motivating the farmers to shift to cotton cultivation, as part of the state government’s crop diversification focus. These efforts translated into increase in the area under cotton cultivation from 6.70 lac acres last year to 9.80 lac acres during this year, according to an official spokesperson.
Timely intervention by the Cotton Corporation of India, on the initiative on the Chief Minister, has for far led to the purchase of 4.36 lac quintals of Cotton, which is about 20% of the total arrival of the produce in the State mandis. The purchase has been done at Minimum Support Price of Rs. 5450 per quintal, fixed by the Govt. of India for American Cotton, said the spokesperson.
The Chief Minister also complimented the Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, for working closely with the Agriculture Department to ensure availability of high quality seeds and pesticides, as well as timely advice and extension services to farmers. Captain Amarinder has also directed the Agriculture Department to ensure all these provisions to farmers in advance, to enable expansion of cotton cultivation to the targeted 12.50 lac acres in the next Kharif season.
Meanwhile, Secretary Agriculture KS Pannu said the favourable climate had also contributed to the bumper production of the ‘White Gold’, with the Drip Irrigation concept introduced by the state government helping boost yield and lower cost of cultivation. The decline in cost of production due to decreased use of pesticides had also proved beneficial for the farmers, he added.
