The textile company Sportking India has launched the ‘San-Vardhan’ (Cotton You Can Trust) initiative in Punjab and Haryana in response to the problem of Pink Bollworm (PBW) attacks harming the cotton crop in Northern India. Sportking India has partnered with ATGC Biotech, Reviving Green Revolution Cell, and Team Athena Pvt. Ltd.
In support of this project, ATGC Biotech unveiled CREMIT (Controlled Release Enhanced Mating Interruption Technology), a tool that enhances PBW control and encourages environmentally friendly population control through “Insect Family Planning,” hence lowering the demand for conventional pesticides.
San-Vardhan guarantees produce traceability and provides a holistic approach to regulating PBW, including agronomy and nutrition management. The project is being carried out on 2,000 acres in three districts in Punjab and Haryana, involving more than 500 cotton farmers receiving training in Integrated Nutrient Management (INM).
“The reduction of cotton output is a significant loss for smallholder farmers, ginners, yarn manufacturers, and the entire value chain,” said Munish Avasthi, Managing Director of Sportking India Limited. PBW is an expensive pest that destabilizes the cotton supply and endangers farmers’ livelihoods. Our pleasure is in providing funding for the CSR initiative ‘San-Vardhan’, which utilizes CREMIT technology to aid cotton growers in North India.
Reviving Green Revolution Cell (RGR Cell), the project’s implementing partner, executive director Dr. Baljinder Saini, said, “I am very happy that the textile industry is stepping up to help cotton farmers.” Similar campaigns should be started in cotton-growing regions in Central and South India, I hope.
