6 lakh hectares under direct seeding of rice in Punjab, highest so far

Chandigarh, August 4

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Punjab farmers have shown keen interest in direct seeding of rice (DSR) during the current paddy season, bringing 6.01 lakh hectares (15.02 lakh acres) under the innovative technology.

This coverage is the highest ever in the state to date, as per a report of the Punjab Remote Sensing Centre, Ludhiana. Nearly, 20 per cent of the total area under paddy has been brought under this water-saving technology this year.

Farmers of Bathinda district lead across the state in the adoption of DSR with 52,760 hectares under this novel technique, followed by Muktsar (46,820 hectares) and Fazilka (45,850 hectares).

Director, Agriculture, Sukhdev Singh Sidhu said last year about 5 lakh hectares was under DSR technology, with maximum 46,510 hectares in Muktsar district. In the current season, state farmers have enthusiastically switched to DSR and the area increased to 6.01 lakh hectares. He stressed DSR brought down water consumption by 10-15 per cent. On the directions of Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh, he said the Agriculture Department had launched a special drive in association with Punjab Agriculture University, Ludhiana, to encourage farmers to adopt direct sowing of paddy, and the efforts were showing results across the state. — TNS