Abohar farmer gets award for cotton crop

During the state-level event organised by the Punjab Agriculture University (PAU), a farmer, Gurpreet Singh, a resident of Patti Sadiq village, 27 km from here, has won the first prize in the Narma cotton crop. He gave the credit to the scientists at Krishi Vigyan Kendra and the regional PAU station, along with agricultural officers who guided him from time to time.

Gurpreet said compared to the last year, more canal water was available, due to which he managed to water the fields as per the schedule. He said better water management and guidance by the authorities concerned may help farmers achieve production targets. This is the second time he has won this prize from the PAU. He has also won other prizes in state and national competitions.

He said he never burnt wheat straw grain, adding that he mixed it in the sand with the help of a tractor, due to which he had to use very little chemical fertilizer. He, being an environmentalist, had been mulching paddy straw in his orchard. He had first sown Narma cotton in four acres but lost two quintals of crop due to the attack of the pink bollworm. However, with the encouragement of the officials concerned, he took care of the rest of the Narma crop and got the award. He advised farmers to never lose hope and seek guidance from agricultural scientists.