Punjab government urges Centre to allow sowing of BG-III Bt cotton

20-Jul-2024 01:44 PM

Chandigarh. For the last three-four years, cotton crop in Punjab is suffering huge losses due to severe infestation of pests like pink bollworm and white fly and farmers are being forced to abandon its cultivation. In view of this, Punjab government has urged the Centre to allow commercial cultivation of next generation Bt cotton variety- Bollgard-3 (BG III).

Although vigorous efforts are being made at government and private level to protect cotton crop from pest and disease attacks through innovative technology and better agricultural practices, but complete success has not been achieved so far.

Last week, a farmer of Fazila district in Punjab destroyed the cotton crop in a 10-acre field and ploughed the field with a tractor because the infestation of pink bollworm pest had spread very much on the cotton plants. Later, he sowed moong in that field.

The Nagpur-based Central Cotton Research Institute has installed AI spart traps in 18 places in Punjab, while another institute has installed Cremit technology on about 1000 acres of land in Sirsa in Haryana and Fazilka and Bhatinda in Punjab. This will help in controlling pests and diseases and farmers will be able to reduce the spraying of pesticides. This time the cotton production area in Punjab has come down to below one lakh hectares, which is the lowest level in recent years.