Chandigarh, August 22
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has sought a report from the Punjab government with regard to the damage caused to the cotton crop by adverse weather conditions this year.

A few days ago The Tribune had reported that there would be a fall of 15 to 20 per cent in production this year in the cotton belt comprising Sirsa, Fatehabad and Hisar districts of Haryana, Mansa, Bathinda, Muktsar and Ferozepore districts of Punjab and the Sriganganagar area of Rajasthan.

Sources said a senior officer of the union government informed the state government authorities that the Prime Minister wanted a report on the damage in this region.

The sources said the Punjab government had prepared the report for submission to the Prime Minister.

Because of the weather conditions, the attack of various pests on the cotton crop has increased manifold this year. The pest attack factor has led to an increase in the cost of cultivation. There has been stunted growth of cotton plants in a wide area and the crop has also reached the fruition stage a bit early.

All these factors will lead to a fall in productivity. Against the earlier estimate of 55 lakh bales of cotton in this region, the production is likely to come down to 40 lakh bales.