AGRICULTURE DEPARTMENT CONTINUES HOLDING CAMP FROM VILLAGE-TO-VILLAGE SPREADING AWARENESS ON WHITE FLY PEST ATTACK

Sri Muktsar Sahib, :Following the directions of the Chief Minister Punjab Mr Parkash Singh Badal, under the Director Agriculture Department Mr Mangal Singh Sandhu and Deputy Commissioner Jaskiran Singh the Chief Agriculture Officer Sri Muktsar Sahib has constituted 18 teams that are holding camps from village-to-village educating farmers about the white fly attack on cotton crop. Comprising of different experts, these teams are visiting various villages and holding awareness camps about the ways to mitigate white fly attack.
The experts in teams including deputy project director Dr Gagandeep Singh Maan, sub-inspector agriculture Satinder Kumar, farmer friends Gurpal Singh and Sherbaz Singh conducted awareness camps at villages Khohar, Sarainaga, Bariwala, Baja Marar, Marar Kalan, Lambi Dhaab and Khappian. Dr Gagandeep Singh told farmers that they should use the recommended pesticides to handle white fly pest and should resist from mixing the poisonous chemicals themselves. It could lead to economic losses as wrongly mixed pesticides can actually increase the egg laying capacity of white fly by 20 percent. He added that the farmers should use Oberon (sporomycifin) 200 ml, polo (diaphenthuron) 200 gms, Ethion 50 EC 800 ml and trizofas 40 EC 600 ml alternatively. He added that farmers should never use Acifet 75, Acitampride etc medicines to control the pest attack.
He added that if the farmers sprayed these medicines together at village level it would lead to early and easy control of the pest attack. The pesticides should be sprayed before 10 am and after 4 pm as during noon hours the white fly hides under leaves. He said that in every spray sticker should be used as using this technique the spray spreads on all leaves evenly. He added that the fixed type cone nozzle should always be used for spraying and the pesticides should be sprayed on entire plant from top to bottom. He added that the leaves, which have gone black due to sooty mould, should be sprayed with 500 grams Bliroz amd 3 grams straptocyclin. Where the leaves are turning red, farmers should use 1 kg magnesium sulphate dissolved in 100 liters of water.
He asserted that in times of crisis, the agriculture department stood firm with farmers and every possible help would be given. He added that the Chief Minister has already ordered special girdawari of the affected areas so that farmers are fairly compensated.