Estimates of 10 to 50% loss in cotton fields from Rajasthan to Haryana.
The damage caused by pink bollworm is more widespread and severe than ever before
In Hanumangarh, Rajasthan, Sukhdev Singh has been growing cotton on six acres for decades, even before the advent of genetically modified Bt hybrids.
Pink bollworm (PBW) can be blamed for Leo's troubles. Outbreaks of this pest are common in the cotton belt of northern Rajasthan, Haryana and south-western Punjab since 2021. But this time the damage reported is much more extensive and serious. Even on Thursday, the Rajasthan government announced that farmers in Hanumangarh and Ganganagar districts whose crops have been affected will get relief within 10 days.
PBW larvae penetrate the developing fruits (bolls) of cotton plants, and damage affects both the weight and quality of harvested bolls containing lint fiber and seeds.
From Hanumangarh and Ganganagar in Rajasthan to Sirsa districts of Haryana, The Indian Express found varying degrees of pest infestation on cotton (raw unginned cotton) plants. In many farms, the damage was almost complete, rendering all efforts made to no avail.
“The Bt seeds we sow now are not working against PBW. Yet there is no one to monitor or assess the damage. We noticed the damage in July and informed the pesticide dealers. They simply prescribed more pesticides, but they were not effective,” said Gursewak Singh, a farmer. He said agriculture department officials asked him to sow seeds in more widely spaced rows, but that too did not work.
Sukhpal Singh, who farms on 2.5 acres in Bangu village of Sirsa, expects a yield of 2.5 quintals of cotton per acre this year. In 2020, before PBW was first observed, it was 10 quintals per acre. Singh has to pay Rs 9-10 per kg to laborers who pick his cotton. Earlier, due to ease of picking, they used to charge Rs 7 per kg. Now, as the granaries have either shrunk or closed completely, workers are unwilling to accept lower wages.
Including the amount invested by Singh for seeds, fertilizers and pesticides, diesel and labour, the cost of cotton cultivation comes to around Rs 15,000 per acre. A yield of 2.5 quintals would fetch him Rs 17,250 (at Rs 7,000 per quintal, but varying according to quality), he would hardly be able to make any money. “Sometimes, I feel it would be better to leave the field fallow rather than growing this crop. Next year I will cultivate guar. It may not even give any returns, but it would be better if I wait until a better variety of cotton comes in the market,'' he said.
Singh estimates he will get around Rs 8,000 per acre from guar: “We are back to where we were 20 years ago, before the advent of Bt seeds.”
Dr CD Mayi, chairman of the South Asia Biotechnology Centre, a Jodhpur-based agricultural science organisation, said Bt cotton – which contains genes from soil bacteria that code for proteins toxic to the American bollworm – has demonstrated its efficacy against PBW. Have lost.
“Farmers had to plant non-Bt cotton along with BT on the edges of the field. Growing non-Bt as a cover crop would have delayed the evolution of resistance to PBW and prolonged the life of Bt. The apathy and absence of monitoring from the state agriculture department also did not help,” Mayi said.
Both the state governments are fully aware of this crisis. Haryana Agriculture Director Dr. Narhari Bangar said that according to his estimates for this season, there has been 50 percent loss in the 25 percent areas where cotton is cultivated. “The Haryana government gives compensation in two ways – insurance and disaster relief fund. If the loss is more than 25 percent, the disaster relief fund will come. We are monitoring the situation and issue an advisory every 15 days. We also visited the area on September 1 to assess the damage caused this season,” he said.
Rajasthan Agriculture Commissioner Gaurav Aggarwal said that according to his estimate there has been a loss of 10-50 percent. “We will find out the actual loss after this year's harvest experiment... Pink bollworm infestation is higher this year because of the early rains which make it favorable for the insects to grow and flourish.”
Source: The Indian Express
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