The Punjab Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Department has sent four senior officers to the districts of Muktsar Sahib, Bathinda, Fazilka, and Mansa to stop the pink bollworm attack in the cotton region. The department has also postponed the holidays for its officers and other employees working in these four districts until the end of August, including Saturday and Sunday.
Agriculture and farmers welfare minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian on Sunday said after taking cognisance of reports regarding pink bollworm attack on cotton crop in a few villages of Bathinda district, he had ordered four senior officers to camp in the cotton belt till August 31, as the next 15 days were crucial for the cotton crop.
According to him, these officers will supervise the officials’ work while also visiting the fields to assess the cotton crop and provide farmers advice on how to fend off bug attacks.
The minister also gave the go-ahead to send a daily status report to the headquarters after touring the fields in order to assist farmers during this challenging time. It is imperative that farmers stand with them to safeguard the cotton harvest, according to Khudian, thus any carelessness or slackness in performance would result in stern punishment.
