Area under cotton cultivation increases to over 10 lakh hectares in Punjab

A total area of over 10 lakh acres has been brought under cotton cultivation in Punjab so far, surpassing last year's 9.70 lakh acres, officials said on Tuesday. "Punjab has recorded sowing of cotton over an area of 10 lakh acres so far and the set target of 12.50 lakh acres will be achieved very soon," Punjab Additional Chief Secretary (Development) Viswajeet Khanna was quoted as saying in an official release.

The increase in area under cotton cultivation will boost the state government's crop diversification programme, Khanna said. The state government has been encouraging farmers to shift area under paddy cultivation to other crops.

Khanna said the agriculture department had made timely and adequate arrangement of fertilizer and hybrid seeds of Bt cotton well in advance to ensure seamless sowing of cotton crop across the state amid the lockdown due to COVID-19 pandemic. Cotton is the second major traditional crop of southern Punjab. The Malwa belt of the state is known as its 'cotton belt', he added.

Usually, cotton sowing gets completed by the end of May. However, sowing is expected to get completed by first week of June this year because of delay in wheat harvesting. Bathinda district has so far recorded maximum sowing of 3.39 lakh acres, followed by Fazilka with 2.38 lakh acres and Mansa with 2.10 lakh acres under cotton cultivation, Khanna said.

In Muktsar, 2.02 lakh acres area is under cotton cultivation, while the number stands at 7,800 acres in Sangrur, 5,800 acres in Faridkot, 1,870 acres in Barnala and 1,257 acres in Moga district. PTI CHS VSD RVK.

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