Miffed with the delay in field reports about seed quality following the pink bollworm attack on cotton crop, Punjab agriculture minister Randeep Singh Nabha on Tuesday directed deputy commissioners of southern districts to compile details within 72 hours.
Pest outbreak was a serious issue that required inputs from the ground before chalking out a broader plan for the next sowing season, said the minister, who had previously sought time-bound reports on September 29.
“There are allegations from various quarters that spurious seeds and pesticides were behind the devastating pink bollworm attack. The field reports should have been filed by now. The respective district authorities should now file these within the next 72 hours. Accountability will be fixed if anyone is found involved in the sale of spurious seeds and pesticides or overlooking their availability,” said Nabha.
The minister said the reports from cotton-growing belts were also required to determine the exact crop loss for compensation.
“As per existing rules, loss between 76% and 100% can be compensated with ₹12,000 per acre. But it is the domain of the finance minister to finalise the amount of compensation,” he added Nabha said experts of Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Ludhiana, and other institutes had been taken on board to chalk out a long-term plan to mitigate infestation of pink bollworm.
Prima facie, the onus of transportation of this pest from other states lied on the cotton-ginning and oil-extraction firms, he added.
“We do not intend to take any punitive action. But factory owners must ensure that safety protocols are followed strictly to check the population growth of pests. Also, a mass awareness drive has been planned to sentitise farmers by February to adopt best farm practices,” he added.
Nabha said a draft farmers’ policy, framed by the Punjab Farmers and Farm Workers Commission, will be reviewed for implementation.
“Ajay Vir Jakhar, who recently resigned as commission chairperson, had spent considerable time to prepare the report. It deserves to be discussed in the government and we should adopt the best recommendations,” said the minister.
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