Punjab: Farmers Urged to Adopt New Cotton Variety

Punjab: Amidst growing concerns regarding recurring disease outbreaks in Bt cotton and a decline in sowing acreage, Agriculture Minister Gurmeet Singh Khuddian on Tuesday urged farmers to adopt PBD 88—a new variety of “Desi cotton”—during a ‘Kisan Mela’ (Farmers’ Fair) held in Bathinda. Additionally, he directed officials to actively promote this variety. The Minister noted that the area under cotton cultivation in the state had expanded to 1.2 lakh hectares during the previous season, and efforts are currently underway to further increase this coverage.
Highlighting the benefits of the PBD 88 variety—developed by the Ludhiana-based Punjab Agricultural University (PAU)—he stated that this indigenous variety yields an average of 11 quintals per acre and carries a lower risk of disease. “The likelihood of this crop succumbing to disease is very low,” he remarked. “Furthermore, it allows for harvesting (picking) up to 3-4 times. I appeal to farmers to definitely sow this variety on a portion of their land.” He also informed that Agriculture Development Officers (ADOs) have been instructed to reach out to farmers and promote this seed.