Punjab Government will duly compensate every cotton cultivator who has suffered a loss due to an attack of Pink Bollworm attack.

The announcement was made by the Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi on Sunday after undertaking a whirlwind tour of the cotton belt in the Malwa region of the State, along with Deputy Chief Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, to assess the loss.

The Chief Minister, at Nasibpura and Kataar Singh Wala villages, asked the officers of the Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Department to set up various labs across the State to test and certify seed quality so as to prevent recurrence of such pest attacks. Channi also asked the officers to pump in all resources, in terms of the best available insecticides and pesticides, to save the precious crop of the farmers from these attacks.

The Chief Minister unequivocally said that the State Government is solidly behind the farmers in this hour of crisis. “Every single penny of the loss incurred by the farmers will be credited directly into their accounts by the Punjab Government,” said Channi while asking the officer concerned to complete the survey of the loss at the earliest so that farmers can be duly compensated.

The Chief Minister said that the first target is to check the further spread of this attack by taking the necessary preventive measures.

He asked the officers to pull all the plugs and ensure the loss to farmers is minimized. At the same time, the Chief Minister assured the farmers that the State Government is fully committed to safeguard their interests in this hour of crisis.