State Agriculture Department asks farmers to keep a vigil on the crop and not panic; runs awareness and training campaigns to combat the threat
Chandigarh: With whitefly sighted in the cotton belt districts of Punjab due to the prevailing hot and humid weather conditions, the Agriculture Department has asked farmers to keep a vigil, besides running awareness and training campaigns to combat the threat.
“The next 15-20 days are critical. We have noticed whitefly in the State’s cotton belt and if the current hot and humid conditions with dry spell continue, then there is a reason to worry,” Punjab Agriculture Department Director Jasbir Singh Bains told The Hindu .
Mr. Bains, however, said the pest is currently below the economic threshold level and the situation was not alarming, but farmers should keep a vigil on the crop.
In Punjab, cotton is mostly grown in Bathinda, Faridkot, Mansa and Muktsar districts and after sighting the pest across these regions, the agriculture officials and experts are gearing up to deal with the situation.
With the State farmers planting more cotton this season, Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh had last week ordered the Agriculture Department to launch an aggressive campaign to prevent damage to the crop.
Increased area
The area under cotton in Punjab has increased to 3.82 lakh hectare this season against 2.85 lakh hectare last year.
“We have deployed 500 scouts and 50 field supervisors to conduct a survey twice a week in each cotton growing village. Besides, awareness and training camps for farmers are also being held,” said Mr. Bains.
Please click here to read more.