leader of the Opposition in Punjab Vidhan Sabha Sunil Jakhar on Sunday
lambasted the State Government for ignoring interests of cotton growers.
“The State Government had offered 50 per cent subsidy on some brands of insecticides to control attack of white flies on cotton fields, farmers have started uprooting the damaged plants lamenting that the spray had no effect,” he said.
Farmers in the cotton belt have been noticed using tractors to uproot cotton plants in their fields, he added.
Blaming the SAD BJP Government for the sad plight of cotton growers, Jakhar said that sowing of cotton was done over 4.25 lakh hectare whereas the target was of 5.25 lakh hectares this year. Insufficient availability of certified seed, canal water and other resources was the cause of lesser sowing. The Central Government had sanctioned `29.62 crore grant to enable Punjab Government develop cluster development cotton fields covering 98,750 acres of land but the Agriculture Department did not move even a step forward. The officers had not visited the villages affected by white flies attack, he alleged.
Describing the Agriculture department as one of the most corrupt departments, he said that some BT seed manufacturing companies had offered to provide products which could resist and prevent attack by white flies at the preliminary stage but they were not given a nod as ruling politicians and officials wanted to promote other manufacturers for vested interests.
Criticizing the alliance government for pursuing “anti-farmer” policies, he said that Malwa region unfortunately topped in incidents of suicides by debt-ridden farmers but the ruling politicians remain busy in protecting drug traffickers, fake arms marketers, land and sand mafia besides the gangsters involved in fake arms licenses.
Even when the accused were close associates of senior BJP and SAD leaders, the latter say they won’t quit. Punjab was known as food bowl and rich cotton producer by the State Government had not framed agricultural policy which could save farmers, he added.
Abohar, he said, had emerged as Manchester of Punjab but lacks behind now in growing cotton due to adverse situation caused by the State Government.