Central team arrives in Punjab to assess cotton crop loss

Chandigarh, Oct 10 (PTI) A team from Union Ministry of Agriculture

today arrived here today to assess the damage caused to cotton crop

by whitefly attack.

The team was led by Union Ministry of Agriculture- Additional Secretary

Ashok Dalvai and senior plant protection Advisor Sunil Kumar.

The officials held a meeting with the Chief Minister Parkash Singh

Badal and later with officials of the Agriculture department.

They also held meeting with representatives of farmers' organisations-

BKU (Lakhowal) and BKU ( Rajewal).

BKU (Rajewal) President Balbir Singh Rajewal said that he had demanded

higher compensation for cotton crop loss caused by pest attack, saying

the current compensation amount was quite less.

He further said that funds should also be provided to farmers for

sowing next Rabi crop wheat as they were not having enough resource

because of failure of earlier wheat and cotton crops.

The team members will go to PAU at Ludhiana tomorrow to meet experts

and will also be visiting fields in Malwa region, he said