leader of Opposition in Punjab Assembly Sunil Jakhar on Wednesday held the officials of the Agricultural Department responsible for damage to the cotton crop due to white fly.
In the Assembly, Jakhar said the Government purchased pesticide which was not tested in any state laboratory and the 90 percent payment was made in advance.
He alleged that the Agriculture department had been purchasing pesticides at higher rates, which were available in lesser rates in open market. Then to cover its misdeeds the state government wrote to the company not to sell at lower rates from what it was purchased by the government.
Accusing government of shielding the big fishes, he said the government had absolved itself of its responsibility by suspending director, Agriculture, Mangal Singh Sandhu. He said, Sandhu was earlier found involved in the seed scam in 2010 but instead of punishing him, he was rewarded with a promotion.
However, Agriculture Minister Punjab Tota Singh accused the opposition for unnecessarily dragging him in the controversial purchase of pesticides for their narrow vested interests and political ambitions.
Making a statement on the floor of Punjab Vidhan Sabha on allegations leveled by Jakhar, Tota Singh unequivocally stated that damage caused to cotton due to white fly could not be merely attributed to spurious quality of pesticides purchased by the state agriculture department.
Justifying the substantial damage caused to cotton crop in the Malwa belt due to pest attack as a natural calamity, the Minister brought it on record that due to unseasonal rains the harvesting of wheat was delayed which further resulted in late sowing of Cotton crop. He said that the situation further aggravated with scanty rainfall coupled with high temperature and moisture that led to damage beyond anyone’s imagination.
Tota Singh said that the problem of 'white fly' had accentuated due to deficient rain during this season resulting in harsh attack from 'white fly' on the cotton crop. Earlier the larva of 'white fly' used to be washed away with torrential rains, which unfortunately didn't happened this year, which led to substantial loss of the farming community. The Minister vehemently said that the entire gamut of events were nothing short of a ‘natural catastrophe’ but unfortunately the opposition was hell bent upon to paint the whole story in different colour and perception.
Jathedar Tota Singh revealed that after Jakhar brought this issue of grave loss to his notice and sought immediate ‘Girdwari’ in order to compensate the farmers, he immediately urged the Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal to bail out the cotton growers in this hour of crisis. CM Badal immediately ordered special Girdawari for assessing the damage caused to standing cotton crop in the Malwa belt, to enable timely payment of compensation to eligible cotton cultivators forthwith.
He said that out of total 11.25 lakh hectares of area sown under cotton crop, 92167 hectares (10-15%) were covered under the pesticides purchased by the agriculture department whereas remaining for 85-90% area pesticides were purchased by the farmers at their own level. likewise, the Minister said that 1.36 lakh hectares (30%) out of 4.5 lakh hectares of area was affected by pest attack whereas in Haryana it was 3.06 lakh hectares (52%) out of 5.83 lakh hectares and in Rajasthan 100% crop of Guar was damaged.
He further said that he had immediately ordered an enquiry to ascertain the quality of pesticides and rules followed for their purchase. likewise, the Minister said that he had also ordered to immediately withhold the payment to the suppliers. He also informed that during a special drive to check the quality of these pesticides launched from April 1, 2015 to September 20, 2015 as many as 1984 samples of various pesticides were taken, of which 59 had failed.