Berhampur: Abysmal yield and unavailability of quality seeds have forced the cotton farmers in Ganjam district to outsource seeds from Rayagada district, a report said Monday. According to farmers, the cotton seed available in Rayagada district is high-yielding and resistant to pesticides used for de-weeding. Left with no option, farmers in Ganjam district are buying the seeds available in Rayagada district for the cultivation of cotton on their farmlands. Farmers in Ganjam district have suffered losses in cultivation of paddy during the last Kharif season due to inadequate rainfall. Cotton cultivation was also affected in the district but managed to scrape through. The harvest has been more this year than the previous year. Cotton is usually cultivated on black soil where it grows best. It is cultivated more in areas under Sanakhemundi, Sorada, Sheragada, Jagannathprasad, and Patrapur blocks. The seeds germinate in four to five days after they are sown. The germinated seeds then grow into cotton plants and it takes six to seven months for the cotton flowers to bloom.
According to details available from the district agriculture office, cotton was grown on 2,394 hectare land in last kharif season while the target was set for cotton cultivation on 3,230 hectare of land. The fibre was grown on 554 hectare in Sanakhemundi block, 410 hectare in Sheragada block, 293 hectare in Sorada block, 268 hectare in Digapahandi block, 506 hectare in Patrapur block, 20 hectare in Dharakote block, 38 hectare in Aska block, 5 hectare in Bellaguntha block, 48 hectare in Purushottampur block, 10 hectare in Ganjam block, 34 hectare in Kukudakhandi block, 40 hectare in Khallikote block, 118 hectare in Jagannathprasad block and 25 hectare in Bhanjanagar block. Meanwhile, over 80 per cent of the crop has been harvested in the district.
Notably, the district agriculture department had set a target for cotton cultivation on 8,010 hectare but the crop was cultivated on 3,017 hectare. Farmers, however, have alleged that the seeds provided by the agriculture department are low-yielding, adding that the cotton plants grown using the seeds are withering after they spray pesticides for de-weeding. The sub-standard seeds are also resulting in stunted growth of the cotton plants. Left with no option, they have to travel to Rayagada district and buy the cotton seeds from there for their cultivation. The cotton plants wither when they spray pesticides for deweeding.
As a result, they are forced to use the seeds available in Rayagada for cultivation instead of the seeds supplied by the district agriculture department, a farmer Dibakar Goud alleged. When contacted, Assistant Agriculture Officer Pranati Panda said the agriculture department is not supplying the seeds but a private agency is selling the seeds at Digapahandi for which farmers are provided with incentives.
However, the agriculture department has fixed separate minimum support prices (MSPs) for the harvested cotton at the mandis. The MSP for a quintal of cotton which is more in length has been fixed at Rs 7022 while the MSP for the medium range of cotton is Rs 6620 per quintal. The regulated market committee (RMC) at Digapahandi will open the mandi after the harvest where farmers can sell their harvest and get their money.
Later, the harvested cotton will be procured by the Cotton Corporation of India which will prepared threads at its ginning mill, district agriculture officer Subrat Kumar Sahu said. Farmers have demanded to ensure proper marketing facilities for their harvest and quality check of the cotton as the harvest is increasing in Ganjam district.