Farmers in a bind over lack of information on varieties to be sown this kharif season

Tribune News Service

Manav Mander

Ludhiana, April 20

With the state government not making any announcement about the paddy varieties to be used this season, especially about the status of Pusa-44, farmers are facing a tough time on deciding what to do.

Paddy season starts from June 1 but farmers need to purchase the seeds in advance because they need to first produce a paddy nursery and then transplant the same in the fields. Farmers need a month’s time to develop paddy nursery and are expected to start the same from May 1.

Rise & fall of Pusa-44 paddy variety

Pros

• Pusa-44 was developed by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) in 1993 and initially gained popularity in Punjab during the late 1990s.
• Farmers were drawn to it due to its better yield and its cultivation area expanded rapidly, covering around 70-80% of state’s paddy cultivation area.
• The increased yield could potentially add Rs 15,000-Rs 22,000 per acre to a farmer’s income.

Cons

• Pusa-44 has an extended maturity period, requiring about 160 days to mature, which is approximately 35 to 40 days longer than other paddy varieties.
• This extended cultivation period necessitates five-six additional cycles of irrigation and has raised concerns about the depleting water table.
• It generates approximately 2 per cent more stubble than shorter duration paddy varieties.

With wheat harvesting going on in full swing, the farmers need to start planning for their next crop, but are unsure about the varieties to be recommended by the government.

Charan Singh Noorpura, district president of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ugrahan) said neither the government had made any announcement about the paddy varieties that would be used this season, nor it had announced about the date from which paddy would be sown. Since paddy is now sown on different dates in a phased manner in the state, the dates for the same are also yet to be announced.

“There is no definite information about Pusa-44 variety as last year it was announced to ban the sowing of water-guzzling Pusa-44 variety of paddy crop for this kharif season. Farmers are yet to receive concerted information on this. They need to know about this variety, which is widely sown in the state,” he said.

Harinder Singh Lakhowal, president of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Lakhowal), said farming was no child play, but needed proper planning.

“Wheat has been harvested and we are yet not aware about the varieties that can be used and neither we know about the transplanting period. We need to buy the seeds in time as developing a nursery also takes time. The government should announce the dates and varieties so that we can start planning,” he said.

Saudagar Singh, general secretary of Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ugrahan), said it was right time for the government to announce the varieties so that farmers could purchase the seeds. “When it gets delayed then the sellers start charging a hefty price and also sell it on the black market,” he said.

Chief Agriculture Officer Parkash said farmers should avoid sowing Pusa-44 as this variety was water guzzling, took more time to mature and produced more stubble. The schedule of paddy cultivation and other details will be announced by the government soon, he said.

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