Despite Government Efforts, Punjab Sees Record Low Cotton Cultivation
2024-07-04 11:41:48
Even with government efforts, Punjab's cotton cultivation is at an all-time low.
Despite efforts by the government, Punjab has recorded its lowest ever area under cotton cultivation this season. The state aimed to bring 2 lakh hectares under cotton cultivation, but the area has shrunk to about 97,000 hectares, marking an all-time low according to agriculture experts.
Last season, Punjab had 1.73 lakh hectares of cotton. This sharp decline in cotton acreage is attributed to several factors, including severe pink bollworm (PBW) infestation, weak prices for the cotton crop, and rising labor costs.
Bathinda has seen a drastic reduction in cotton cultivation area. In 2022-23, about 70,000 hectares were under cotton cultivation in Bathinda district, which declined to 28,000 hectares in 2023-24 and further to 14,500 hectares in 2024-25.
Dr. Karanjeet Singh Gill, Chief Agriculture Officer (CAO) of Bathinda, pointed out that intense heat conditions during the sowing period contributed to the decline in cotton cultivation this season. He emphasized the need to adopt new methods to control diseases affecting cotton plants.
In Faridkot district, where the area under cotton cultivation has fallen to just 1,000 acres this season, the agriculture department is striving to attract farmers to cotton cultivation by offering various incentives. These include subsidies on seeds, quality pesticides and fertilizers, and free Pheromone Traps to catch and monitor pink bollworms.
