LAHORE: There is a complete ban on the cultivation of cotton in the province before the start of April due to chances of an attack from pink bollworm.
Punjab agriculture department sources said this here on Sunday, adding that attack chances of pink bollworm on early-sown cotton have increased. Keeping in view the possibility, the department has banned early sowing of the crop.
Sources further said that field teams have been mobilised to counter the attack of whitefly and pink bollworm.
In a bid to achieve a top quality yield of the crop, the government is providing farmers of South Punjab cotton zone with a subsidy worth millions of rupees on selected varieties of cotton to achieve a good yield of the crop, as soon as it is certain that the crop is safe from the menace of whitefly and pink bollworm.
Punjab agriculture department spokesman said this here on Sunday. He said that subsidy was being given under Kissan Package, adding that under the scheme farmers of Multan, Khanewal, Lodhran, Vehari, Bahawalnagar, Bahawalpur, DG Khan, Layyah, Muzaffargarh and Rajanpur would be given a subsidy of Rs700 on each bag of selected cotton varieties.
He said that selected varieties include IUB-2013, FH-142, FH-Lalazaar and MNH-886. To participate in the scheme, the last date to send an SMS is March 30. Subsidy vouchers would be given in cotton bags in the month of April.
These varieties would help increase per acre yield of cotton in South Punjab, he added.
