Hisar: Central team inspects pink bollworm-hit cotton fields

A team from Centre’s Agriculture Ministry visited the district to inspect the cotton crop following concerns over pest infestations, particularly the pink bollworm, following complaints from farmers.

The team conducted a field inspection in Mangali Jhara village and found traces of pink bollworm in the cotton crop, said officials of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Department today.

The officials, however, maintained the infestation is below the economic threshold level and issued advisory to the farmers to stay alert, but not panic.

The inspection team included Assistant Plant Protection Officers (APPOs) Laxmikant, KP Sharma and Suraj Beniwal from the Regional Integrated Pest Management Centre (RIPMC), Faridabad, accompanied by Dr Arun Kumar Yadav, Plant Protection Officer from the Haryana Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Department, and Agricultural Development Officer (ADO) Ravinder Antil.

Dr Arun Kumar said that they have got information about pink bollworm from the village and intimated the head office at Chandigarh and at the Centre. Farmer Narsi Ram Khichar said that he spotted the pest and alerted the officials of the Agriculture Department couple of days ago.

The cotton area in Hisar has steadily declined over the past three years primarily due to recurring pest problems such as pink bollworm. This season, cotton has been sown on approximately 2.1 lakh acres, down from 2.5 lakh acres last year, reflecting waning farmer interest due to consecutive losses.

Dr Yadav informed that pesticide sprays are only recommended if four or more bolls per plant are found. Otherwise, farmers are advised to focus on regular field monitoring. The team also observed that last year’s cotton plant residue (banchhatti) is lying in the field which is suspected to have carried the infestation. Officials said that the leftover plant material poses a risk of pink bollworm attacks.

On the other hand, some villages, especially in the cotton belt of Adampur in the district, are suffering due to excessive rain. The cotton farmers in villages including Sishwal, Adampur, Ladwi, Mahalsara and Kohli have reported widespread crop damage, with the risk of para wilt growing in standing water.

Adampur MLA Chander Prakash visited the affected areas to assess the situation and took the officials of the Irrigation Department with him. The MLA directed the officials to take immediate action to drain water from fields and minimise crop loss.

The Congress MLA also asked the government to conduct a survey to assess the losses and demanded immediate financial relief to affected farmers.