Punjab expects 14 per cent growth in cotton production

Chandigarh, Sep 6 (UNI) Cotton production was expected to grow by about 14 per cent at 27 lakh bales during 2006-07, Secretary Agriculture and Animal Husbandry, Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa said here today.

The cotton output was expected to touch 27 lakh bales this season compared to last season's production of 24 lakh bales.

Mr Randhawa further said during this season the cotton crop had been sown in an approximate area of 6.18 lakh hectares across the State as compared to 5.57 lakh hectare last year.

The farmers were shifting from certified seeds to hybrid seeds including Bt cotton. 80 per cent of the area had been brought under hybrid seeds during the season. The productivity per unit area was likely to cross last year's 731 kg lint per hectare, he said.

This anticipated increase in cotton output would be possible due to measures like timely availability of canal water at the sowing of crop in the month of April, availability of good quality seed, transferring of the crop production technology to the farmer, propagation of integrated pest management and promotion of biological insecticides, he said.

A National Level Monitory Team (NALMOT) which had visited cotton farms in various regions of the state had declared that the crop was almost free from insects, pest and diseases due to adoption of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) technique.

However, the team had expressed concern over delay in release of funds for implementation of Technoloy Mission on Cotton (TMC), Mini Mission-II in the state.

The agriculture extension staff had recommended the spray of pesticides on the basis of economic threshold level of the pests.

Now only one spray against the sucking pests was needed as compared to 8 to 10 sprays before the adoption of technical know-how about IPM to the farmers. The natural enemies are also in good numbers in the fields, Mr Randhawa said.

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