FAISALABAD: The agriculture department has announced to provide Gossiplor (ropes) to cotton growers on subsidized rates to control the attack of Gulabi Sundi (pink bollworm). The farmers can submit their applications for subsidized gossiplor (ropes) by February 28. According to a spokesman for the agriculture department, the pink bollworm goes in winter nap during November and December and its eggs remain present on cotton seeds, branches and dried leafs in farms and ginning factories. When they get sufficient temperature after winter, they again become active. He said that cotton growers should act upon advices of agriculture experts and avoid from cultivating cotton crops before April 1 to save it from attack of pink bollworm. He said the agriculture department also started an awareness campaign and the field staff was regularly providing guidance to cotton growers which would continue up to March 31. He said that the agriculture department Punjab also decided to provide gossiplor (ropes) to farmers in cotton areas on subsidized rates. For this purpose, applications have been invited from the cotton growers of 54 tehsils of Faisalabad, Multan, Bahawalpur, Dera Ghazi Khan, Sahiwal and Sargodha divisions.
The farmers in these divisions are eligible for applying to get subsidized gossiplor (ropes) if they have 50 acres agricultural land. The government will provide them subsidy of Rs1,000 per acre if growers will purchase gossiplor at their own from the pre-qualified firms.
He said that 60 per cent subsidy amount would be provided on the purchase of gossiplor while remaining 40 per cent amount would be doled out on the end of cotton crop.
The application forms are available in the offices of deputy director Agriculture (Extension) and assistant director Agriculture (Pest Warning) free of cost while they can also be downloaded from the website www.agripunjab.gov.pk and its photocopy would also be acceptable.