Will check sale of spurious pesticides: CM
Saturday, 12/08/2017
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MANSA: Chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh visited whitefly-infested cotton fields in Khyala Kalan and Sahnewali villages in Mansa on Friday, where he assured farmers of a crackdown on suppliers of spurious pesticides.
“The threat of whitefly is not as serious as the media are projecting it to be. Less than 1 per cent of total sown crop area in Mansa has been hit,” Amarinder told the gathering.
However, disagreeing with the CM, and in protest against the loss, farmers in Sahnewali village uprooted the cotton crop in their fields in his presence. Some of the farmers in this village also claimed that Amarinder’s security team did not allow them to meet the CM.
They even termed the visit as a photo-op.
“We waited since morning and his supporters and officials from the agriculture department denied us access. He did not announce any compensation and downplayed the entire whitefly attack,” said Gursewak Singh, Sahnewali sarpanch, claiming that villagers uprooted nine acres of cotton crop in protest.
He added that the security did not allow farmers to interact with the chief minister.
Meanwhile, Capt Amarinder Singh said suppliers of spurious pesticides and seeds would be taken to task and urged the farmers to use only the varieties that PAU recommended.
“I will convene a meeting on Wednesday (August 16) to discuss ways and means to tackle the farm situation in case of inadequate rain, since dry and humid conditions breed whitefly,” he said, adding that the government will come up with a definite plan.
Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee president Sunil Jakhar, who accompanied the CM, said that erring officials, be it the deputy commissioner or the agriculture officer, would face the heat if found showing laxity in performing their duties.
In their interaction with the CM, farmers had pointed the finger at the deputy commissioner for reportedly being lax in addressing their concerns.
