Cotton farmer Sandura Singh from Gulabgarh near Bhatinda is facing problems from the growing menace of white fly that cripples the growth of cotton plant. This has resulted in the yield of Bt cotton on his farm dropping.
Farmers’ woes
In the last two years, the average yield in Sandura’s farm has dropped by about 20 per cent to 10 quintals an acre from 12 quintals earlier.
In addition, his cultivation costs have gone up considerably, as he has to spray at least four to five insecticides to keep the white fly under check.
Singh is not alone. Scores of cotton growers across the Malwa region in Punjab are facing the twin challenge of a rebound in rising insecticide and pesticide costs and increase in labour charges, attributed mainly to labour shortage during the cotton plucking season.
Pest control
When Bt cotton was introduced in Punjab eight years ago, growers in Malwa region, comprising 12 districts including Bhatinda and Patiala, were able to tackle the bollworm menace and almost double their yields.
However, the emergence of sucking pests such as white fly, mealy bug and jassid are posing threat to cotton crop not only in Malwa, but across the country.
“In the pre-Bt cotton days, the extensive pesticide sprays undertaken to control the bollworm had kept these sucking pests under check,” says Balwinder Singh, another farmer in the neighbouring Mour. The decline in pesticide usage in the post-Bt era has resulted in a flare-up of these sucking pests, he says.
insecticide usage
According to Kiran Kranthi, Director of the Nagpur-based Central Institute of Cotton Research (CICR), insecticide usage for bollworm control decreased after 2004, while the usage for sucking pest control increased after 2006.
Though Bt cotton was introduced in India in 2002, States such as Punjab had delayed the introduction by three years.
According to the statistics compiled by Kranthi, the use of insecticide to control bollworm has dropped by 6,599 tonnes in 2003 to 222 tonnes in 2011.
Similarly, the use of insecticides to control sucking pests has more than doubled from 2,909 tonnes in 2003 to 6,372 tonnes in 2011.
Costs involved
Though insecticide costs that accounts for 8-10 per cent of the cultivation costs are on the rise, labour shortage and rising wages are a major worry for Punjab cotton growers, who still depend on migrant labour from Bihar and other States, especially during the picking season.
“Labour costs have more than doubled in the past few years,” says Sandura.
Labour problems
“Besides paying wages, we also have to provide food and pay for transportation. Sometimes during the picking season, we have to go as far as 200 km to fetch labour,” he says.
The implementation of the rural job guarantee scheme, MGNREGA, has led to labour shortage in villages. Also, the dwindling in-house family labour – as children of farmers opt for studies and take up jobs in cities – has compounded the growers’ woes. Labour now accounts for close to half of their cultivation costs.
“The Government should cover activities such as cotton plucking under MGNREGA,” says Balbir Singh Gadwal of Fatehabad in Haryana, a farmer and leader of the local kisan club.
Last season, at an average price of Rs 4,000 a quintal, cotton growers in Malwa made decent profits, but are now under pressure.
Though paddy is a relatively profitable alternative, these farmers prefer to grow cotton, as the declining groundwater table has left them with no other choice.
(The visit to Punjab was arranged by Mahyco Monsanto Biotech India).