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LATEST NEWS UPDATES | Haryana farmers prefer cotton to paddy by Madhvi Sally

Haryana farmers prefer cotton to paddy by Madhvi Sally

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published Published on Jul 5, 2010   modified Modified on Jul 5, 2010

Farmers across the southwest belt of Haryana and northern Rajasthan have this year sown cotton on a large scale moving away from paddy, the traditional crop in this region.

Due to the unavailability of canal water in certain areas in this region, farmers have also moved from sowing Bt cotton to desi (local) cotton which requires less water.

The trend has largely been seen in the districts of Fatehabad, Bhiwani, Hisar, Mahendragarh in Haryana and the districts of Hanumangarh and Ganganagar in Rajasthan.

Rameshwar Lal Periwal, a farmer from the Peri Banga tehsil in Hanumangarh district, said he has shifted to cotton from paddy for the first time this year on his 200-bigha land. “We are receiving water in alternate weeks from the Bhakra canal and that too for 4 hours for 25 bigha. With the day temperature at an all-time high, I did not find it feasible to sow the Pusa 1121 which I have been sowing. However, after hearing the success story of Bt cotton farmers, I have gone for it for the first time,” he said.

A similar scenario is taking shape across Haryana where the state agriculture department has been prompting farmers to go for cotton than the water-dependent paddy. Haryana agriculture additional director BS Duggal said area under cotton was likely to increase from the corresponding year. “As on date, 95 % area under cotton is BT cotton,” he said.

However, trade analysts say farmers whose cotton crop was burnt during the seedling stage due to severe heat wave conditions in May-June this year have opted for the desi variety.

“The cost of Bt seed per acre comes to roughly Rs 950 which a small or marginal farmer can’t afford. Hence, farmers who are going for sowing of cotton again are opting for desi varieties. Also, as desi cotton requires less water compared to BT, farmers who are dependent on the canal water (Gang canal, Indira Gandhi canal and the Bhakra canal) have no option but to go for the desi variety,” said the Bathinda-based North India Cotton Association president Rakesh Rathi.

The desi cotton seed which is available in the market is of a medium staple variety. “Farmers are getting good returns and currently are selling for Rs 2,950 per maund (one maund is the equivalent of 37.32 kilogram). Local companies and traders are supplying desi cotton across India,” said Ashok Bihani, a desi seed manufacturer from Rajasthan. Bt cotton, which has a better staple and better fibre value, stands out from the desi variety.

Pre-monsoon showers in June have increased the area under cotton in Punjab to 5.59 lakh hectare this year from 5.36 lakh hectare in 2009-10. In Haryana, the area is expected to increase after the re-sowing from 4.5 lakh hectare in May compared to 5.20 lakh hectare in the previous year.


The Economic Times, 5 July, 2010, http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/markets/commodities/Haryana-farmers-prefer-cotton-to-paddy/articleshow/6128913.cms


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