Govt urges farmers to use PR 126 variety of paddy

The Punjab Government has banned the sale, storage and cultivation of long-maturing rice varieties — Pusa 44 and other hybrid specimens — following the recommendations of Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Ludhiana. This was stated by Chief Agriculture Officer Baljinder Singh Bhullar here recently. The ban aims to prevent problems during marketing and stop the decline in groundwater levels.

Bhullar said that continuing with the cultivation of rice has led to a decline in groundwater level and varieties like Pusa 44 take a long time to ripen, exacerbating the issue. Additionally, hybrid varieties pose marketing challenges and are more prone to diseases like black rot and kangyari, he added.

He said the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare has launched a campaign to inform seed sellers and farmers about the ban. Block Agriculture Officers have been directed to make announcements in villages, urging farmers not to sow the banned varieties. Instead, farmers are advised to opt for PR 126, a water-saving variety that is recommended by PAU and has no issues in marketing.

Bhullar said farmers who have accidentally sown seedling nursery of banned varieties are advised not to transplant them. The Chief Agriculture Officer has emphasised the importance of adhering to the ban to avoid problems during paddy marketing and to mitigate environmental concerns related to stubble burning.