Panel set up to improve cotton yield

NAGPUR, OCT 26: A nine-member committee has been appointed to suggest measures to improve the quality and productivity of cotton in Vidarb...

NAGPUR, OCT 26: A nine-member committee has been appointed to suggest measures to improve the quality and productivity of cotton in Vidarbha region and cotton-growing areas of the State, announced Agriculture Minister Ranjit Deshmukh.

Addressing a press conference, the Minister said the committee has been asked to submit its report within two months. It will take into consideration nine different factors like agro-climatic conditions, soil quality, pest resistant and drought-resistant qualities, export potential, staple length and tensile strength of cotton before finalising its recommendations. The committee will recommend particular varieties of cotton which are best suited for a particular climatic and soil conditions.

The decision to set up such a committee was taken when it was found that the productivity of cotton has remained ridiculously low at 90 kg lint per hectare. The neighbouring state of Madhya Pradesh has reached the highest yield of 512 kg per hectare while most other states have recorded the yield of over 300 kg per hectare. At international level, China is the leading country with the yield of over 1,000 kg, followed by the United States. Even Pakistan has better yield than the all-India average of 308 kg.

The committee will have representatives of Panjbrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth, agricultural universities at Parbhani and Rahuri, experts from Nagpur-based Central Institute for Cotton Research, Maharashtra State Cotton Growers Cooperative Marketing Federation, Mumbai-based CIRCOT, textile mill owners, exporters and seed manufacturers.

Deshmukh informed that the State Government has already passed a Seed Control Act, which is awaiting the President8217;s approval. It has provisions to penalise seed manufacturers who do not prescribe to the norms. Researchers and seed companies will have to specify the salient features of the varieties developed and marketed by them. They will have to tell the farmers that a particular variety is suitable for a particular climatic and soil conditions, he said.