The state also reported death of 48 patients, taking the death toll to 779, said a health department official.

Three migrant workers who were on their way to Utttar Pradesh from Maharashtra, mostly walking, died in Barwani district of Madhya Pradesh on Saturday, officials said.

The decision was taken after the state agriculture department approached the Central Institute of Cotton Research (CICR), Nagpur, seeking advice against the backdrop of the Covid-19 pandemic affecting the country.

The ongoing lockdown is seen to take a toll on the finances of the state-run discoms which are finding it difficult to continue meter reading exercises and collect payments from consumers. To make matters worse for discoms, their revenues are seen to decrease on account of lower usage by high paying consumers such as the railways, industrial and commercial users.

The board had been holding regular workshops with both farmers and buyers to encourage exports, he said, adding that the board had taken huge efforts to ensure that more mango growers register their orchards with MangoNet.

Last year’s cotton sowing was estimated at 126.44 lakh hectare. Scientists say that early cotton sowing may be responsible for pink bollworm attack.