Paddy sowing begins in Amritsar district

Amritsar, June 11

The transplantation of paddy in the fields has started on a slow note owing to shortage of labour and water required for puddling of the fields. Farmers say paddy sowing is expected to pick up pace within the next few days as issues related to labour and irrigation would be streamlined.

However, it could be termed as a token start as only a few fields have seen paddy transplantation so far. The canal water has not yet been released. Furthermore, the electricity department is yet to start the assured eight-hour supply of power for tubewells.

“The transplantation activity would gain momentum after June 15. At present, even workers have not formed their teams. As soon as it rains, the transplantation would automatically pick up pace as fields would be inundated with water,” said Harnam Singh, a farmer. He said in most villages, farmers and workers have not yet reached a consensus regarding the transplantation charges.

Farmers stated that the labour cost had reached around Rs 4,000 per acre last year and this season, it would go up further. With paddy cultivation expected to exceed 1.80 lakh hectares in the district, agriculture officials stated that they are promoting the DSR technique, which does not require manual labour.