Cotton Association draws Agriculture Minister's attention to locust attack

NEW DELHI: The Cotton Association of India (CAI) has asked the Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar to look into the massive locusts attacks and sought the Centre’s assistance in dealing with the menace. With cotton planting to begin in central and south India, the industry is worried that the outbreak of locust attack will pose a threat to the crops.

"We request the Agriculture Minister to take appropriate steps at the earliest for controlling these locusts attacks and also to advise the concerned central and state government agencies to issue necessary guidelines to the farmers in order to protect their interest and jointly fight against this menace," said Atul S Ganatra, president, CAI.

Ganatra said that sowing of cotton in north India is complete to the extent of 80% and in the central and southern parts of India it is going to start in the first week of June.


"We are currently receiving reports of locusts attacks in several states of India. Locust attacks, which have taken place in Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharashtra states, have wreaked havoc,destroyed the standing crops and threatened the peoples’ livelihood. These locusts are very dangerous and are feasting on all sorts of plants, vegetation and the standing crops.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), these locusts’ attacks will intensify in the months of June and July and can destroy the cotton crop in these states since all these states are cotton growing states," he said.