Ruchika M Khanna
Chandigarh, May 2
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government will be making major changes to Punjab’s agriculture during the upcoming kharif season, as it aims to break the wheat-paddy cycle and make the agrarian sector environmentally sustainable.
The government is going to incentivise farmers who will take up direct seeding of rice (DSR), and promote cultivation of moong and three late-sown varieties of paddy to stem the severely depleting groundwater level in the state. A comprehensive plan for environmentally sustainable agriculture is ready for implementation.
For years, subsequent governments conceived a crop diversification and environmentally sustainable plan only to be rejected by farmers because none of the plans ensured good remuneration.
“The government has worked out a plan that will wean farmers off the monoculture and opt for other crops, whose sale is assured,” Director (Agriculture) Gurwinder Singh told The Tribune.
Last year, the state government had managed to convince farmers to grow moong. About 50,000 acres were brought under its cultivation in the kharif season. Its yield was 80-85 quintals per hectare and the produce fetched Rs 7,000 per quintal. This year, moong has already been sown on 50,000 acres and another 10,000 acres are expected to be brought under its cultivation by May 15. This year, the government is also promoting late sown paddy varieties which will be sown in July. The varieties — 126, 128 and 130 — require less quantity of water than the traditional water-guzzling varieties of paddy. They will fetch the same MSP as other non-basmati paddy varieties. The third move is the promotion of maize cultivation. Each year, maize fetches a price less than its MSP.
Agriculture Department officials have said plans are afoot for state food procurement agencies to buy maize. “Earlier, the government would buy maize on behalf of the Army. We are going to seek the help of the Centre for similar buying arrangements,” a senior officer said, adding even if this arrangement does not materialise, the agency will be selling maize in the open market.
Sceptics, however, are raising a few questions. Why is the government incentivising the DSR technology for sowing paddy? How will it fund the incentives announced by CM Bhagwant Mann on Saturday?
Agriculture Department officials say the plan is in place. Each year, the government pays Rs 6,500 crore as power subsidy for tubewells. The use of DSR will bring down the use of tubewells by 15 per cent. The money saved will be used for incentivising farmers with Rs 1,500 per acre brought under the DSR cultivation.
Agriculture revamp plan: DSR, moong cultivation
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