Avoid Sowing Moong in Cotton Belt to Prevent White Fly Attack: Advices Agriculture Department

The government has reportedly decided not to buy the summer moong crop in Fazilka and other districts in Punjab because as per the reports, approximately more than 80 percent of the moong that reached the market was bought below the MSP last year in Punjab.

The government has decided to discourage farmers from sowing moong in cotton belt districts of Punjab on request that the cultivation of moong is resulting in white fly attacks which also attacked the standing cotton crop and further result in damage to the crops. Swaran Singh, Chief Agriculture Officer (CAO) said that white fly attacks are eventually leading to the leaf curl disease and resulting in the low yield of cotton.

Director of the Agriculture and Farmer Welfare Department of Punjab addressed to the Chief Agriculture Officers of Muktsar, Fazilka, Faridkot, Moga, Barnala, Sangrur, Mansa, and Bhatinda in a letter that camps should be held to discontinue farmers from sowing moong crops to prohibit white fly attacks.

Also, he asked to switch over to the cash crop cotton which is the major crop of the Malwa belt.

In addition to this, he also said that the government shall not buy moong crops on the Minimum Support Price (MSP) in the Fazilka district, Punjab. Sources also say that the government will not provide MSP on moong crops in the other prominent cotton belt districts like Bathinda, Mansa, and Muktsar.

As per the sources, moong was cultivated on approximately 500 acres last year in the Fazilka district. 

From across the state, 4.05 lakh quintal moong reached the market across the state and out of which an immense 3.56 lakh quintal was bought by private traders below the MSP and only about 48,000 quintals were acquired by the state government.