Punjab Agriculture Minister inspects cotton crop damaged by pest attack; assures compensation

Tribune News Service

Sukhmeet Bhasin

Bathinda, July 12

With pink bollworm attack majorly affecting the cotton crop in the region, Agriculture Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal on Tuesday reached here to assess the damage caused by the pest attack.

However, a large number of farmers had already ploughed their standing cotton crop as the pink bollworm and whitefly had destroyed their cotton crop.

The minister was accompanied by teams of agricultural experts who sensitised the farmers.

Speaking on the occasion, Dhaliwal said he would prepare a report and take up the issue with Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and try to resolve the issue of farmers. At the same time, the minister assured that compensation would be given for the damaged crop.

The Agriculture Minister said that the government had received the complaints about pest attack two days ago after which they deployed 37 teams of experts in the six districts of state where cotton was grown. “We have sent our teams to all these districts,” he said. He said that inspecting teams would soon give report after which further action would be decided.

He said the government was standing with the farmers and would do its utmost to save the crop from natural calamities.