Sunday, June 11, 2017

Area under cotton crop may rise in Fazilka

Praful Chander Nagpal
Mar 7, 2017

Fazilka, March 6 : Fazilka district, which is known for producing quality cotton in North India, is likely to witness an increase in the area under cotton cultivation due to remunerative prices being offered to cotton producers. The raw cotton (narma) is fetching Rs 6,000-6,100 per quintal these days in Fazilka.

Sources in the market committee said they had been getting Rs 4,000-4,500 per quintal in the last few years but after about five years, the cotton prices had touched the Rs-6,000 mark. Cotton was sown in 36,320 hectares last years. As per the recommendations of Punjab Agricultural University, the best period for sowing cotton is from April 15 to May 15. After witnessing financial losses in the last few years, cotton producers are delighted due to remunerative prices of cotton in Fazilka market.

Pawan Kumar, a farmer of the cotton producing belt of Kandhwala village, said he cultivated cotton in 9 acres and sold it at a price of Rs 6,010 per quintal. Farmers said this year the quality of cotton had also improved, resulting in increase in the yield to 8-10 quintal per acre this year as compared to 6-7 quintal per acre last year. Satinder Kaur, Chief Agriculture Officer, Fazilka, said 151 camps would be organised in cotton-producing 145 villages in Fazilka district in March. (Source: tribuneindia.com)