Fazilka, March 7: The Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Department has intensified efforts to expand the cotton acreage in Fazilka district. In this regard, Deputy Commissioner Amarpreet Kaur Sandhu held a meeting with various departments today to ensure necessary preparations for the upcoming cotton season.
The Deputy Commissioner emphasized the need for immediate preventive measures against whitefly and pink bollworm infestations in cotton crops. She directed all departments to eliminate weeds from their respective areas. Farmers were also urged to remove these weeds from their fields and surrounding areas to prevent pest attacks.
To combat the pink bollworm, the Deputy Commissioner advised shaking cotton stalks to expose and destroy any hidden larvae. Chief Agriculture Officer Sandeep Rinwa informed that last year, cotton was cultivated on 52,000 hectares in the district, and this year, the target has been set at 63,000 hectares. He also stated that fumigation has been carried out in the district’s seven cotton ginning factories to eliminate any hidden pink bollworm larvae.
The meeting was attended by Additional Deputy Commissioner (Development) Subhash Chandra, SDM Kanwarjit Singh Mann, and officials from cooperative societies, education, forest, mandi board, B&R, water resources, drainage, and horticulture departments. The Deputy Commissioner directed the agriculture department to organize village-level camps to provide technical guidance to farmers on cotton cultivation.
