BAHAWALPUR: The division may produce over 32 million maund of cotton in the current Kharif crop if the weather conditions in the next two months remain favourable in the cotton zone.

Agriculture Director (extension) Khalid Sindhu told Dawn on Monday as the weather conditions remained extremely good during the previous months for the crop, it was expected that the division like other areas in the cotton belt would have a bumper crop and per acre yield this time would increase from about 16 maund (per acre) of the last year to this year’s about 20 maund.

He said the department had also introduced a bio-pesticides technique called “integrated pest management” (IPM) for which farmers were actively engaged through the field staff. He said that under the new IPM model, cotton-growers were convinced to do away with the use of the traditional chemicals and pesticides for the standing crop, but prefer the bio-pesticides, which benefited a lot to the crop.

He said this was a matter of satisfaction for both departments and the farmers, as, after three years of low cotton production, the division would have a bumper crop. He claimed that though there were attacks of whitefly on the cotton crop, the pest had been destroyed.

He said the registration of farmers under the Kissan Card Scheme was in full swing in the division and after the completion of registration work, the grant of a subsidy to them through commercial banks would be released. So far, over 250,000 farmers have been registered in the division under the scheme.

RESCUED: Three people, including a minor girl, who fell in an unmanned manhole in Islami Colony on Yazman Road, were rescued.

Fatima, 7, fell in the open manhole. Kamran, 18, and Shehbaz tried to rescue her before the arrival of rescuers of 1122. The three fell unconscious, but they gained consciousness when they were taken out.

Published in Dawn, September 28th, 2021