Pb expects paddy to cover 30 lakh hectares; sowing to begin tomorrow

Paddy transplantation will begin tomorrow in Punjab, with the state expecting about 30 lakh hectares of area under the kharif crop.

"We are expecting about 30 lakh hectares of area under paddy this year as against 30.65 lakh hectares of area last year," Punjab Agriculture Department, Director J S Bains said today.

The state agriculture department had announced the paddy transplantation from June 20 instead of June 15 to preserve water and check the fast depleting ground water table.

The five-day delay in paddy transplantation is expected to save nearly 24 lakh million litres of water, said an official.

However, some of the farmers at certain places defied the order by sowing paddy before June 20.

The agriculture department took action against those who flouted the order of not transplanting paddy before June 20.

"Action against farmers mostly in Barnala, Sangrur and Bathinda was taken for flouting the order," said Bains.

As part of action, the crop sown before June 20 was destroyed at few places, official said.

The state agriculture department tried to allay fears of farmers who opposed the decision of transplanting paddy from June 20 on the ground that it would result in high moisture content in crop after harvest.

However, farmers were advised not to transplant long duration varieties like PUSA 44 which could possibly face high moisture content during harvesting, official said, adding that farmers were encouraged to sow varieties like PR 121, 124 and 126 instead.

Meanwhile, the state owned power utility PSPCL today claimed to have made sufficient power arrangements for meeting the energy requirements during paddy sowing.

"During paddy transplantation, the demand for power requirements may reach 12,500 MW. We have made arrangements of 13,000 MW of power supply to meet the demand," Punjab State Power Corporation Limited, Chairman cum Managing Director Baldev Singh Sran said.

Farmers will be provided daily eight-hour of power supply, he said.

The schedule of power supply will also be issued in advance so farmers could come to know about the supply, he further said.